


Like My Father Before Me

by Winter22



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Original Trilogy, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Action/Adventure, Angst, Angst and Fluff and Smut, BAMF Luke Skywalker, Battle of Jakku (Star Wars), Drama, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Smut, Force Ghost Anakin Skywalker, Jedi Luke Skywalker, Luke Skywalker Is Not an Asshole, Luke Skywalker Needs A Hug, Post-Star Wars: Return of the Jedi & Pre-Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Pre-Battle of Jakku, References to Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008), Rewriting Canon, Rey's parents, Romance, Sex, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Slow Romance, Tragic Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-02
Updated: 2021-03-07
Packaged: 2021-03-14 11:26:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 23,603
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29791197
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Winter22/pseuds/Winter22
Summary: The story begins as a journey of self-discovery which then morphs into a romance that retells certain events leading up to The Force Awakens. As Luke Skywalker searches the journal of Obi-Wan Kenobi for ways to learn about his father, Anakin Skywalker, he finds himself traveling to various planets across the galaxy as they related to battles that Anakin fought in during the Clone Wars (there are a LOT of Clone Wars tv show references). In doing so, he hopes to speak with his father's Force Ghost. During his journey, Luke meets a woman who will single handedly change his life, and the Galaxy's future, forever. Their romance and the events that unfold leading up to the Battle of Jakku will be explored heavily, with references to both canon and non-canon topics. Filled with fluff, sex, angst, and a multitude of Luke greatness :)Guest appearances by various characters found in both the Clone Wars and Rebels series as well.
Relationships: Luke Skywalker/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 5





	1. Chapter 1

**Outer Rim  
** **Planet: Yavin 4  
** **Base One**

**Six months after the Battle of Endor**

Luke Skywalker stared out the window of his bedroom at the deepening night sky. Dark blue and purple shades yawned above the Rebel base, slowly swallowing it until only the blackness of night existed. Beyond the base, a heavy forest of palms stood tall and still in a veil of mist, signaling another humid night. Further still, beyond even the shadow of Yavin Prime, there was an endless galaxy that had just experienced another day of peace.

Gazing at all those stars and planets, Luke thought about the races who inhabited them. He thought about their newfound freedom and their ability to live their days without the threat of death hanging over their heads. It had been six months since the Empire had been defeated. Six months since his father had found peace - and death - and the Rebellion had won the war. Since then, peace existed in the galaxy once more.

This should have left Luke feeling content, but it only left him with familiar heaviness in his heart. He could still see his father's face as he lifted the helmet from him, freeing him in a way no one else could. He could see his eyes - no longer red, but a brilliant, clear blue like his own. He could see his smile; a mirror to that of his sister's. Darth Vader had never smiled but Anakin Skywalker, the Jedi, did. The Jedi who had been his father. Who _was_ his father.

_That_ man had saved his life. Had saved _all_ their lives. In doing so, he'd brought balance to the Force; a prophecy fulfilled.

And though his father had found peace after decades of hate, manipulation, and torment, Luke still couldn't find his own sense of peace. Not even six months later, after the galaxy -- and his life -- changed forever.

Drawing his eyes from the window, Luke shifted onto his back and felt the weariness of his thoughts weighing on his entire body. He pushed his legs out into a stretch that ended in a long yawn; proof that he should at least _attempt_ sleep. It was late and he was tired, but apparently not tired enough. He knew that even if he did close his eyes, the Force would continue to speak to him and it had every night the past few months. It began as a faint echo through his body that grew more insistent, like a soft nudge in the back. _Go_ , it seemed to say. _Move. Keep going_.

Why it felt like a nudge, Luke didn't know. If there was something out there that needed his attention, he couldn't fathom what it might be. Everything he needed and wanted was right here on Yavin 4: his sister, his friends, his life. A future awaited him that was as open and promising as it had ever been. And yet, each night the Force still called him to _go_. To _move_.

Luke pushed his hair away from his forehead in growing frustration. He settled his eyes on the ceiling within his dark room and tried to ignore the pull inside his chest to meditate. Slowly but surely, he felt himself surrendering to the subtle nagging inside him. The Force could be pushy, sometimes - that much he _was_ certain of.

He closed his eyes for only a moment, and then he felt it.

_Go._

_Move._

He opened his eyes with a sigh. Glancing back over his shoulder, he stared once more into the vastness above the night sky and the stars that dotted the darkness. The tug in his chest grew stronger.

_The boy has no patience_ , Master Yoda had said. _All his life he has looked away...Never his mind on where he was._

Luke ground his jaw. He may technically be a Jedi Master now, but he still had plenty to learn -- and the words Master Yoda said to him on Dagobah would not easily be forgotten.

So, in his need to learn and improve, he would focus on what was right here in this room. He would turn to the part of the Force that lived inside his body and mind, and would patiently listen to whatever the it spoke in return.

He willed himself into a seated position and placed his palms on his knees. Once more he closed his eyes, this time doing his best to still his mind. He quieted every muscle, evened his breathing, and tuned in to the infinite sensation of the Force that surrounded him. Instead of asking questions, he simply listened. Whatever the Force had to tell him, he would be patient and he would listen.

_Calm._

_Even._

_Steady._

_Strong._

To this day, his connection to the Force was as elemental to him as the air in his lungs and the blood in his veins. The strength and ease at which it came to him no longer surprised him. It was just another part of him, but still a part he was continuously getting to know and adjust to.

_Calm._

_Even._

_Steady._

_Strong._

He felt his breathing slow even further as he gave himself completely over to the power that came so easily to him. His mind emptied until there was only his breath. All else faded, and only then did he feel the tug in his chest turn into a bloom of energy. It filled his entire body and awoke within his mind in the form of a Force vision. At first, there were only murky images. Luke centered his concentration on the vision until the images quickly sharpened, as though a camera lens was coming into focus. And then a dark orange landscape highlighted by twin suns appeared. A feeling of heat spread across Luke’s skin as though he were standing beneath those two familiar suns, with rolling plains of sand and rock stretching out as far as his mind's eye could see.

_Tatooine._

The vision changed: A familiar sitting area. A comfortable, simple home. Deserted, but not empty. Preserved beneath years of windblown sand.

_Old Ben's home._

Luke felt his heart rate start to increase, but he willed it to still. He listened. Waited. Patient, but open to whatever came next. He inhaled deeply, and when he exhaled the vision changed a final time.

What he saw next caused his brows to knit together. It was some kind of rectangular object; bound with dark leather but covered in sand.

_A notebook?  
_ _Journal?_

Before Luke could examine it further, the vision ended and the images vanished; yanked back to wherever they came. He blinked his eyes a few times and thought he could still see the notebook as if it was before him, but it was no more than an imprint in his memory. If he was meant to locate this notebook, journal, whatever it was...he would go. What the Force asked of him, he would do. There was nothing he trusted more.

Letting out a wistful sigh, Luke turned his gaze back to the night sky beyond his window. The corner of his mouth tugged into a smile. "Guess I'm heading home again."

* * *

The following morning, Luke walked the halls of the base down to what used to be the main operations center during the war. Once the epicenter of the Rebellion's communications, the area now functioned more as an office for Leia and a few of the other generals still on the planet. She and the others would gather there, working to allocate supplies to planets in need or dispatch squadrons to break up lingering Imperial cells.

But most importantly - for people like himself, Han, and countless others - the room had become a place to escape to; a place where socializing became more frequent and one could go to relax and chat. Many long evening talks had taken place in that room since the Empire fell. Accounts of battles past were discussed, always remembering those lost in said battles, and all with glasses of brandy raised in their honor. In a way, emotional wounds were healed in that room now. It became an area for friendships to thrive, allowing the characteristics that marked the Rebellion to live long past the Empire's fall. It made Luke happy, and it made him _proud_.

As he turned the final corner that lead to Leia's office, Luke was surprised to find General Hera Syndula emerging from the doorway. She was dressed in her usual orange and beige flight suit, though Luke hardly suspected she was flying anywhere. It was Hera's unofficial uniform no matter the day or the occasion.

Upon seeing him approach, the Twi'lek's cool smile appeared, though her arms crossed over her chest expectantly. "Skywalker." One of her shapely brows lifted, humor thick in her voice. "Haven't seen you in awhile. Don't tell me I did something?" She cocked her head, her green lekku shifting behind her.

Luke felt a twinge of guilt at her joke, but he couldn't help but chuckle. "You know that's completely false. You couldn't possibly--" He was cut short by a brisk nudge of her elbow.

"--C'mon, Skywalker." Hera smiled, and every bit of it was genuine. "I thought Jedi could sense things like sarcasm?"

Though it was meant in jest, Luke felt the pulse of sadness that emitted from Hera's aura at the mentioning. The hurt she felt for the loss of the Jedi, Kanan Jarrus - her late partner, crew mate, and father of her young son - was easily felt through the Force. As Luke knew all too well, the hurt of loss never truly went away. It ebbed and waned like ocean waves; sometimes stronger, other times lighter as easier to bear. Despite the years since Jarrus' passing, Luke could still feel the hurt that lay beneath Hera's exterior, even though she stood before him with an open and friendly expression.

"Believe me, General" Luke began, his own humor brimming within his voice, "it's impossible not to sense sarcasm, especially with some." With this, he winked at her. He was happy, and a little relieved, when Hera chuckled.

"Fair enough" she replied playfully.

Luke shifted his gaze to the office behind her with a nod. "Is Leia free?"

"Yes, but beware: she's also been asking about you this morning." With this, Hera patted Luke on the shoulder as she walked past. "Seems all the ladies are after the infamous Luke Skywalker."

Hearing this, Luke _had_ to laugh. "Talk again soon, General?"

"You know where to find me!" she called back, then continued down the hallway.

Luke watched after her, shaking his head with humor. He entered into the office where he found Leia leaning back against a large table in the center of the room. She seemed to be deep in thought about something, as she so often was since the war's end. She was dressed in a simple gray body suit, her blaster still securely attached to her hip where it always was. Some habits died hard, even months after the war's end.

Because her hair was pulled back into a braid that encircled the crown of her head, Luke had a clear view of Leia's focused gaze as it remained directed at the cement floor. When she heard the sound of his booted footsteps, her eyes rose and her smile was immediate. "Well! There you are."

"This seems to be a trend this morning." Luke pressed a quick kiss to her cheek. "Did you need me?"

Leia shrugged a shoulder, making no move to get up from her position leaning against the desk. "No. I just haven't seen you since the last sabbac night."

Luke gave her a look. "Maybe because you took all my winnings?"

" _Han_ lent you those winnings, first of all" she countered smartly, though her dimples were quick to appear. "I was just simply ensuring that we...you know....kept them amongst the three of us."

"The three of us, huh?" Luke rolled his eyes playfully.

The twins stared at one another, their smirks more alike than either realized.

Leia couldn't hold it, and her expression burst into a giant grin. She finally stood, but only to lightly punch Luke in the meat of his shoulder. "Can't I just miss my brother?"

"Of course - just not as much as I might miss my sister." He wiggled an eyebrow at her.

Leia walked past him with a sharp look, her brown eyes simmering with another comeback that was poised to release but was instead held back. Luke gave her the chance to speak, but she remained uncharacteristically quiet. He wondered if it was somehow tied to the concerned look she'd been wearing. "I ran into General Syndulla outside your office" he mentioned, hoping to get more details on their meeting.

"Yes...she and I were discussing where our relief efforts will be placed next." She rubbed her brow and let a sigh slip from her lips. "Seems every corner of the galaxy was affected by this war in ways I never expected."

Luke folded his arms over his chest. "Did someone new reach out?"

"A settlement on Kiffu. A small outpost once wealthy for its minerals, but now it's just a wasteland. The Empire stripped it of every valuable resource and left it discarded when it was finished with them. Hera and I will visit the outpost to see what the damage is, and we'll go from there." A muscle tightened along Leia's jaw and she shook her head. The invisible weight on her shoulders seemed to weigh them down even more. "Every day a new settlement reaches out; looking for help in the way of provisions or bodies to help them rebuild. It's what we want, after all. We 're glad they reach out and trust us to make things right. But even after everything....our numbers aren't large enough to help everyone all at once."

"But we _will_ help, and that's something they can count on" Luke added, knowing very well his sister already knew this; she just needed to hear it from a trusted source. "Little by little, as much as we can, we'll help rebuild this galaxy."

Leia smiled, though it was the smile of someone very tired. "Always so optimistic."

"It's what I'm here for," Luke replied rather proudly. He watched Leia's smile brighten further, and through their bond he felt a bit of her spirit rise.

"Well...I'm guessing you didn't come down here to listen to me grumble?" she said, sounding as though she needed a change of subject. "Unless you really are a glutton for punishment?"

"Actually, I was.....hoping to talk to you about something." He hesitated, trying to figure out a way to bring up his abrupt decision to travel back to Tatooine, especially after his sister had just told him they don't have enough bodies around to help those who were in need. If his help was needed here or Kiffu or some other planet that needed bodies - he would go there first; personal escapades be damned.

As if sensing his very thoughts, Leia's smile quickly dulled as concern slipped into her gaze. She paused; and Luke could sense her feeling through the invisible tether that was ever-present between them.

"You're leaving?"

Their bond was something Luke was still getting used to. It shouldn't have taken him by surprise like it did whenever Leia sensed in him the same Force bond he sensed in her. Nevertheless, he stood staring at the concern in her eyes with awe that she'd known it without him even saying a word. "I had a Force vision last night" he admitted. "A strong one."

All of Leia's attention became intensely focused on him. "A bad one?"

"No, not bad. More like...." Luke tried to find the correct words for what he'd seen, even though he wasn't entirely sure of it, himself. "More like an urge to find something. Something, I think, I'm meant to see." His eyes centered on Leia's. "Something back in Old Ben's home."

" _Tatooine_?!?" Leia exclaimed. "Oh Luke..."

"What?"

"I'd strongly encourage you to reconsider going back there at all costs."

Luke leveled with her. "There's no threat there that could hurt me, Leia."

She shook her head. “I'm not worried about Imperial forces." She pushed the pad of her index finger into the center of his chest and held it there, directly over his heart. "I'm worried about what going back there might do to _this_."

A flicker of energy rippled between them; a current of shared emotion felt through their unique bond. It made Luke's love for his sister course through his hand as he enclosed it around hers. "I'll be okay. The Force would never lead me astray, especially not after everything that's happened." No sooner had he said this did he feel another ripple of energy through their bond. This time, it was one of fear and apprehension.

"That's exactly why I wish you wouldn't go." Leia's shoulders lowered. "Haven't you gone through enough? _Witnessed_ enough?"

This very sentiment was something he thought about every day. Since seeing his father's Force ghost the night of his funeral pyre, Luke thought he'd seen all he needed to. He'd seen the Jedi his father was...at least physically. And yet, there was so much more he wished to learn. More than anything, he wished there had been more time to learn about the Jedi named Anakin.

"You're thinking about him again." This time, Leia's voice took a harder edge. "About.......Vader."

"Our _father_ " Luke corrected her. "Anakin."

Leia turned away, arms folding over her chest as if in protection of the name itself. Luke crossed the short distance between them and placed a gentle hand on her arm, turning her towards him again. Knowing how headstrong she was, he waited until her dark eyes found his before continuing. "Why do you find it so difficult every time I mention him?"

"The man who tortured me? Who tortured an entire galaxy? The man who obliterated _my home_ and everyone I loved without a second thought?"

Her voice cracked ever so slightly, and it would have been the only indication that she still felt the loss of Alderaan heavy on her heart had anyone else been in the room. Leia was a pillar of strength. And so often, she was _his_ pillar of strength. She was a living testament of her unshakable perseverance, something that he admired beyond words. But whenever she talked about their father, Luke could feel her energy warp and change. The pain she felt came rushing at him in a torrent of emotion; deep and black and unforgiving. It saddened him, but he understood her pain. Vader had done terrible things, and it left poisonous scars on Leia's mind that would be difficult to change. Despite this, Luke refused to give up hope. Some day he would prove to Leia that their father had once been a good man once. It would take time, but Luke believed it would happen.

And that was enough.

"Maybe what I'm supposed to find in Obi-Wan's home will help." He kept his voice gentle so as not to gloss over the hurt his sister felt. "Maybe it's something to help us understand who he was. Not as Vader, but as Anakin."

"What difference would it make?" Leia challenged. Though her expression had softened a little, there was defiance in her stare. "What does it matter what or _who_ he was if he chose the path he did?"

"Because he chose differently on the Death Star" Luke answered honestly. "He chose _me_ , and his love for _us_ , over the Empire. Over the Emperor. Over his own life, whatever he thought of it." He felt a sudden pull inside his chest when he said this; similar to the nudge he'd felt the night before. It was if the Force was reinforcing what he was saying; comforting him as he spoke. It gave him the courage to continue. _"That_ is why it matters. And that makes all the difference to me." Luke reached out with his other hand and held Leia's shoulders and squeezed. "I only wish you could see it, too."

The tension in Leia's body eased under his touch. As his words began to sink in the hardness of her gaze finally dissolved, as if being reminded of the sacrifice that _Anakin_ \- not Vader - had made only six months ago was all she needed to hear. Luke didn't need their Force bond to know Leia desperately wanted to think of their father in a better light, and not as the cloaked terror most of the galaxy knew him as. The hesitation he sensed in her proved that she wanted to believe. She wanted to believe the image of their father that he so easily clung to.

Turning from him for the moment, Leia walked back over to her desk and stood before the base's main data control center. Luke watched as she flicked on one the controls, bringing forth a glowing blue holographic map of the galaxy. She flicked another button and a planet became front and center, spinning slowly as it hovered before them.

"So...." Leia placed her hands on the curve of her hips, a subtle smile playing at her mouth. "Tatooine, then?"

By this simple gesture, she was giving Luke her support. Whatever journey he was about to take, she was going to support him as she always had. No matter the odds, no matter the age or distance, one thing remained certain in Luke's life: Leia would always support him.

He stepped in beside her, one arm going about her shoulders. "Tatooine it is."

Their eyes turned and stared at the planet hovering before them. Leia wrapped her arm around Luke's waist, holding on to him as though she didn't want to let him go. "Please be safe."

"I will" Luke answered, then pressed a kiss to her head. "You know I will."  
  


* * *

  
In Hangar Bay 3, Luke readied his trusty X-Wing with supplies needed for his short trip. At least, he _planned_ on it being short. He was open to whatever the Force was leading him to back on Tatooine, so if he needed more provisions - he'd return to get them. Until then, this was going to be a short jaunt back to his home planet to see what his vision was trying to tell him.

As he made all his final pre-flight checks from the cockpit, he motioned with a wave of his hand to R2-D2, who waited below. "All set, R2! Ready when you are."

The Astromech whirred and beeped a cheerful reply, which put a broad smile on Luke's face. It was nice to know that while he would technically be alone on this journey, it was a comfort to have R2 along with him. The droid was as good a company as any, as he'd learned, and was forever trusty in a tight spot.

Luke disengaged the metal arm from the back of the ship as R2 rolled over, its magnetics tightening over the domed head of the droid. It pulled him up into his co-piloting spot behind the cockpit, to which R2 settled in rather comfortably. Once the droid was locked into the ship's computer system, it gave its own signal up to Luke.

"Soon enough, R2" Luke told him. "Just a few more diagnostic checks. It's been a while since I flew in this thing - I might be a little rusty."

The droid let out a long string of sassy beeps in response to his joke, and it only made Luke smile further. Knowing how impatient his co-pilot could be, Luke quickly wrapped up what was left of the final flight prep checks and re-checked the coordinates he'd locked into the computing system. As he stared at the computing system on board, the numbers and letters of Obi-Wan's home on Tatooine staring back at him, a rush of emotion came flooding back into his chest. Only a singular voice could draw him out of his emotions at that moment, that was the voice of Han Solo.

"Hey, kid! Not so fast!"

The familiar voice echoed through the hangar, drawing Luke's back into the present. He wheeled around to see his friend approach, which brought him to his feet within the cockpit. "Well, well" he teased. "Word sure travels fast around here, huh?"

Han's long, casual stride brought him to the edge of the X-wing where he leaned against the S-foil. His lazy smirk spread across his face. "Leia just informed me you were heading out. Figured I might be able to catch you before you left." He gave a nod towards the opened hangar door beyond. "You planning on being gone a while?"

Luke sensed Han's honesty in the question before he even asked it. Because of his friend's genuine concern, he decided to jump down out of the cockpit and talk to him one-on-one. He motioned a quick _gimme one minute_ to R2, then swung down to the ground below. "I'm only planning on staying a day or two." He shrugged. "Whether that actually _happens_ or not..."

Han uttered a healthy laugh. "You know as well as I do, these kinds of trips tend to get...." He wiggled his head back and forth, his eyes half-rolling. "...you know, out of our hands."

"Do I ever" Luke replied with a chuckle.

They'd been through so much together. Any time either of them referenced the craziness of the past several years, it was a way of subtly honoring the manner in which they'd come together and became friends. It was bittersweet, and it seemed to Luke that Han knew that. They fought together in the war and had come out the other side as changed men...in their own ways. Han wasn't the most sentimental guy in the galaxy, but Luke could read between the lines. Plus, the energy coming from him through the Force -- that was unmistakable. Han cared for him more than he let on, and Luke never took it for granted.

Han's smirk grew. "You sure you don't need someone to tag along?"

"This might be one you should sit out on" Luke told him, knowing full well Han had no intention of going back to the land of the Hutt family. That was exactly why the smirk he wore beamed so brightly. "Besides - what would my sister say if both of us left?"

This made Han push off the S-foil, readjusting his stance. "Anyone ever tell you how wise you are for being so young?" This garnered a chuckle from the both of them, and then Han nudged him in the side. "You be careful out there. And don't stay too long -- I don't wanna have to answer for your whereabouts when the Princess undoubtedly gets antsy."

Luke could only laugh. "Sure thing, Han. I'll be back in no time, alright?"

Han gave a nod, watching as Luke climbed back into the cockpit. A smile lingered on his face as he backed away from the ship, lingering long enough to watch Luke fired up the engines. After Luke placed his helmet on and adjusted the straps, he gave a final look back at Han and gave him a thumbs-up.

Han gave him one in return.

As Luke pulled the X-wing out of the hangar, he realized that some things never changed. R2 would always be his faithful partner on lone trips. His sister would also have his back, no matter what the occasion. And Han Solo -- former smuggler, now turned war hero -- would always be there to see him off whenever he flew somewhere.

Though the galaxy had been changed forever, Luke was thankful that some things stayed the same.  
  


* * *

**  
Outer Rim  
** **Planet: Tatooine  
** **Southwestern Edge of the Dune Sea**

Luke could feel the heat within the X-wing seconds after lowering into Tatooine's atmosphere. Even with all the internal cooling jets on full blast, the unrelenting temperature of his home planet seeped into the ship, causing sweat to form beneath the visor of his helmet. As he descended further, the orange-brown landscape swelled before him as curtains of heat rose on the horizon. Dust and microsilt left in the wake of his ship was all the welcoming Luke received. As he neared the location of Obi-Wan's home, the endless sea of sand transformed as pillars of rocky outcroppings began to jut out the landscape. These signaled the final approach to his destination, and once more Luke began to feel a tug in his chest. Whether it was his emotional tie to this place or the Force urging him ever onward into this new quest, he wasn't entirely sure. It very well could have been a little of both.

Knowing the location around Ben's home like the back of his hand, Luke circled his ship around the rock and dunes until he came to a spacious, level area only a short distance away. He lowered the ship slowly, the landing gear easing down onto the surface in a swirl of orange and rust. He quickly cut the engines and the dust cloud around them quickly settled, but not without some consternation from the astromech behind him.

"Sorry, R2. I know - I should have been quicker," Luke said with a chuckle. "I promise to dust you off once I get the chance, alright?"

_Sure, sure_ , the droid seemed to say, though it came out in a low rumbling _whoooooo_.

Wasting little time inside the now-sweltering cockpit, Luke removed his helmet and disengaged the cockpit shield. Immediately, a wall of dry heat slammed into him, overcoming the protective fabric of his flight suit. He jumped down onto the silty ground, feeling his legs adjust from space flight to solid land. It felt good to fly again; even just to come back to a place he'd been so many times before. Though it occurred to him that this was the first time he'd ever traveled to Tatooine without the Empire looming over him. He wouldn't have to double-check himself at every turn. There would be no need to worry about talking to the wrong people or saying the wrong things to potentially dangerous characters. For the first time since that fateful day he'd met Ben Kenobi, he was free to just _be_ .

How strange it was to feel free, Luke thought sadly.

Leaving R2 behind to tend to the ship, Luke approached the home of his old friend and tried to look upon the humble abode with new eyes. It remained unchanged, even after all the years since he'd last seen it. It was covered in dust, as it usually was, but overall the home still remained an unremarkable fixture built from the landscape itself. The entrance was still sealed, which Luke was glad to find. He'd had the entrance reinforced after his previous trip to the planet, and by all signs he could see from the outside, his work remained perfectly in tact...just as he'd left it.

Luke closed his eyes and focused on calling forth the power of the Force, then stretched an open palm towards the door. The Force flooded his body, filling him with an essence of the life around him, brightening his senses as it traveled through every inch of his being. He spread his fingers a little wider and ushered the power he felt through his arm and into his hand, then out through his fingers.

Before him, the sealant that had protected old Ben's entrance began to erode away from the doorway. The rock that lined the door rumbled beneath Luke's power; layers of dust sifting off the surface and falling in a thin sheet before him. Inch by inch, he concentrated on peeling back the layer of security he'd placed on the home , which he'd done by using the Force, and only the Force could be used to remove it. And so it was, when the last of the binding he'd used to secure the home released and peeled away, he felt the restraint in his connection to the Force disappear.

He opened his eyes. The bright blue layer of sealant - visible only to those gifted in the use of the Force - had been completely removed. The door swung open a few inches as if Ben had opened it himself and was waiting for Luke to join him. So he entered the home for the first time since the galactic war ended, and found that the inside had not changed one bit. Everything was left as he remembered, which brought the return of the emotions he felt any time he came back to this place. But what had brought him here this time was the book that had appeared in his vision, and he needed to find it.

He glanced around the home, feeling a bittersweet sadness at the items that remained behind all these years. It felt wrong that someone with the knowledge, training, and accolades that Obi-Wan Kenobi boasted should have his belongings left behind in such a manner. A forgotten museum of artifacts unseen and untouched except by him. But Luke knew it was what Ben would have wanted. He had never been the showy type, at least not to Luke. If a simple home full of humble items was all that remained after an honorable life, Luke supposed it was precisely what Obi-Wan would have chosen anyway.

_Then again,_ he thought with a half-smile, _he left behind a legacy with me...and perhaps that was his greatest wish of all._

And there it was: the nudge. The pull. That sensation filling him as it had the night he'd had the vision.

_Go. Move. Search._

Luke closed his eyes and tried to feel through the sensations filling him, wondering if maybe he could sense the location of the journal or book or whatever it was through the Force.

And he was right.

He opened his eyes and spun, facing the small kitchenette off the far right side of the home. He moved in that direction, feeling the nudge in his back like someone was actually there, pushing him gently forward. He passed the kitchenette and came to what had been a modest pantry area. Beyond was a side entrance that had been rarely used, as Luke recalled, and was now obstructed by years of sand and rock collecting in the angled corner of the old passageway. This, of course, made this area a dead end in Luke's search.

With his hands resting on his hips, Luke turned back towards the pantry and tried to look once more with new eyes. Wooden shelves lined the rock wall and were covered in sand. They were mostly bare; only one or two sealed containers remained sitting on the shelves and Luke wasn't about to explore the contents for fear of smelling what might still remain within.

He felt his patience waning quickly as he wiped the back of his hand across his damp forehead. It couldn't possibly be here, so maybe he'd been wrong in what he felt within the Force?

Another nudge.

_Go. Move. Search._

"But where?!?" he asked aloud. He threw his hands up, looking once more at the shelves before him and the wind blown entryway that was now closed by decades of settled sand. "Ben wouldn't just leave his journal on a shelf like that. Not something he deemed important, anyway."

_Search._

Luke exhaled heavily and closed his eyes once more. Patience. He needed patience. Yoda told him so and he'd yet to learn it, apparently.

He settled his mind and opened himself to the Force again, feeling through his frustration to whatever waited on the other side.

On the other side was another nudge.

_Doorway._

Luke turned back towards the pile of sand with a furrowed brow. "Here?" He almost laughed out loud. "Oh, great. So I have to dig through all this?" He shook his head and was about to turn back to see if he could find something to help him dig through the hardened sand, but he stopped.

He didn't need to dig.  
He needed to _search_.

Ben wouldn't have put something important in an old doorway he never used, because maybe _that_ wasn't the doorway the Force was nudging him towards.

Facing the shelves, Luke took one more look at simple structure of the wood and the two containers covered with sand. One was at the top left corner. One was in the bottom right corner. Both vacuum sealed. Both the same color.

_Hidden in plain sight_ , Luke thought.

He extended his palm and closed his eyes. Reaching out through the Force, he moved his hand as though he was opening an old fashioned doorknob. Before him, the two vacuum sealed containers spun slowly clockwise until there was an audible _click_.

Luke opened his eyes to see the wooden shelves with the two containers slide open to reveal a crudely carved space out of the sandy rock wall. Within the space sat a metal container. Apparently, the shelving unit had actually been a makeshift safe only penetrable by use of the Force.

Smirking despite himself, Luke lowered his hand. "Used the same tactic I did when I sealed his home, and I didn't even realize it." He nodded and smiled. "Nicely done, Ben."

He stepped into the space where the shelves had parted and brought forth the metal container. He did his best to dust off the top, wiping the excess silt on the pant leg of his flight suit. Upon opening it, he found exactly what he knew he would: the leather bound book he'd seen within his vision. It had a simple leather tie that kept it closed; still fastened by Ben after so long alone in its hidden cubbyhole in the wall.

Luke replaced the metal container and brought the book with him into the living area, trying to work past his own apprehension at what could lay beyond the leather cover. Whatever it was that the Force wanted him to see so badly was about to be revealed and it left him a little nervous.

Pushing past his nerves, Luke tugged at the leather tie and then opened the cover. An old writing utensil - one fashioned in such a way that Luke had never seen before - still lay within. He carefully removed it and began to read the neatly written script of Obi-Wan Kenobi:

_What is presented on the following pages are my attempts to reconcile thoughts and questions that haunt my waking hours. They will serve as a review of my life, my misgivings, and my failures. Written memories of signs that I missed that have lead to the moments of the present; a potentially futile attempt at clearing the murky waters of one man's memory to reveal where the failure occurred. Perhaps, at the end of my written search, I will have found answers to my questions._

Luke read the paragraph three times. Each time he felt a tightening within his chest that clenched harder with each read.

He turned the page and read Obi-Wan's first journal entry:

_Year One of the Clone Wars  
_ _Geonosis Weapons Factory raid, Point Rain._

_For all that I can recall, Anakin had been a remarkable leader under crippling circumstances. Though it was not his leadership, fighting, or strategical knowledge that I now question, but his emotional response to his padawan that I recall being troublesome._

Luke stopped reading. His eyes slowly rose from the page to stare blankly at the wall as he digested the first few sentences of the entry, realizing what was being called into question on the page.

Quickly, he flipped past the pages of this first entry until he found the beginning of the next entry:

_Year One of the Clone Wars  
_ _The incident above Christophsis._

_Anakin's strategical prowess was never more apparent than his piloting above Christophsis, however his lack of respect for authority and his decision to directly ignore commands from myself and those in higher positions were made in favor of his own decisions, despite their positive outcome._

Luke stopped reading and flipped past a few more pages:

_Sometime between Year One and Year Two of the Clone Wars  
_ _Blue Shadow Virus incident, Naboo._

_The impatience of Anakin is most notable within my memory here. His hasty disregard for structure, planning, and consideration under which the containment of the virus was crucial nearly lead to what could have been a fatal outcome. Anakin's emotional attachment to both Senator Amidala and his padawan proved to be his greatest challenge during this time, though his heart had been in the right place._

Luke saw the name of his mother and felt his heart jump into his throat. He closed the notebook and tried to slow his breathing as he sorted through the little bit he'd seen so far. From what he could tell, the journal was a collection of Obi-Wan's memories that recounted the missteps he made with his apprentice, Anakin Skywalker. There were pages upon pages of details that spanned the course of the Clone Wars. It was, from what Luke could gather, Obi-Wan's attempt at trying to find where he'd gone so terribly wrong in causing his best friend to become his enemy and, eventually, a monster to an entire galaxy.

A monster who had traded it all to save his son in the end.

Luke stared down at the notebook. The Force had called him here. Had called him to find this notebook and to read its contents, whatever they may be. What lay inside Obi-Wan's memories were the answers he'd been asking himself for months. He wanted to know who his father had been before he'd fallen to the Dark Side, and it appeared that he was about to get his answer.

* * *


	2. Chapter 2

**Outer Rim  
** **Planet: Yavin 4  
** **Rebel Base**

A full rotation had completed by the time Luke made it back to Yavin 4. Night was descending upon the Rebel base, which made for a quiet reentry when he landed his X-wing. And because it was nighttime, it was the deciding factor in refraining from immediately visiting Leia to show her what he'd discovered while on Tatooine. Instead, he grabbed his personal items from within the ship, waved for R2 to follow, and went directly back to his bunker room. Luckily for him, the hallways were empty. He passed one Gonk droid on the way, but otherwise the base was quiet.

As soon as he was back in his room, Luke peeled out of his flight suit, kicked off his dust covered boots, and grabbed the journal from his knapsack. Not bothering with food or water (both of which he was in need of), he flopped onto his bed with anticipation. He opened Obi-Wan's journal on his lap and powered on a single light to illuminate his readings. He felt like a kid who was allowed to stay up well past his bedtime, eager to read everything that was inside the notebook of memories.

Luke quickly discovered that Obi-Wan had been meticulous with his entries. He dated each "incident", as many of them were called, and described the moments of whatever battle or crisis he and his apprentice attended in fine detail. It was astonishing that one person could recall everything that Obi-Wan had. Although Luke supposed if the memories within the pages had truly haunted Obi-Wan’s waking life, then perhaps the details functioned as more of a curse.

As the hours passed and Luke went deeper into the journal, one thing remained evident: Anakin Skywalker was every bit the powerful, talented, brave-hearted Jedi Luke had been told. In many instances, Obi-Wan described moments where Anakin's courage to save those he cared for, including Obi-Wan himself, shone through on the very pages upon which the memories were written. And yet, he could not ignore the other theme that was ever-present: Obi-Wan's deep desire to reason through his uneasiness regarding Anakin's behavior. All of the entries marked moments throughout the Clone Wars where Obi-Wan had witnessed Anakin's display of talent and knowledge, and yet these moment were consistently mixed with an underlying current of turbulence. It was clear that a growing mistrust had festered between them, and Luke learned with every turn of the page that this mistrust was only one of many factors that were overlooked over the years.

Because of this, it was not easy to read the entries. Luke wrestled with his emotions as they played a game of tug-of-war between pride and disappointment. It appeared that Obi-Wan went through something similar; his inner turmoil was clearly evident within his neatly written words. His growing concern for Anakin's mistrust, his increasingly explosive moods, and his devotion to Chancellor Palpatine were at the forefront of this turmoil. Luke felt the sadness and regret that lived inside Obi-Wan entries as though they were his own. His and his father's relationship went deeper than he ever truly realized.

As the third hour of reading passed into the fourth, Luke finally closed the notebook and leaned his head back against the wall. There were still a few hours left before sunrise, but even if he put the notebook away to lay down, he'd never rest. Not until he read every last line contained in the notebook.

He rubbed his face with both hands, feeling how strained and gritty his eyes felt. Every inch of him felt gritty and grimy. Sand still stuck to his skin from that dust bowl of a planet, and he _knew_ smelled of oil and sweat. He told himself he'd shower in the morning, though he didn't expect to still be awake when the sun rose. If he was going to sleep, he had better try and do it now.

But the _notebook_.

He wasn't even close to being finished, and he still had so many questions. Not to mention that the amount of detail on each page overwhelmed him. There were planets he’d never heard of. Settlements on moons he didn’t realize were even colonized. Battles that took the life of thousands of Clone troopers, yet he'd never heard of their names. Luke knew the galaxy was massive, but he didn't realize just _how_ massive. There were so many places mentioned in the journal alone that he wished to visit, and his father had been at the forefront of them all.

A tiny seed of curiosity began to grow inside his mind.

What if he were to list some of the planets and colonies and battle locations that Obi-Wan mentioned....and visit them himself? Surely he would be able to feel his father's energy there. If he was lucky enough, maybe he'd even be able to reach out to him through the Force and speak to his Force ghost.

Luke hadn't felt this excited in...well, he didn't know how long. _Too_ long, he knew that much. Feeling rejuvenated, he quickly pushed off his bed to grab his data pad. He returned to the journal and went through each of the entries he'd read so far and began to chart a path across the galaxy. He found some of the more notable planets Obi-Wan had written about; eventually connecting the dots between the locations where battles were won or certain crises were dealt with by the work of his father and Obi-Wan. It took some time to do, but in the end Luke had an entire path mapped across the Inner and Outer Rim. He marked them in order of importance first, then mapped out the quickest hyperspace lanes by which he would travel. If he spent one day at each of the locations he charted, he could cover 10 entries worth of history in 10 days. He'd have to account for a few days to resupply and refuel, but he easily could do it all in under two weeks.

As Luke studied the map in front of him, he realized a trip like this would be like going back in time. He could visit the places his father had been when he was at his very best. In doing so, he would learn about all the good his father had done as a Jedi Knight and - _hopefully_ \- he'd be able to feel all of it through the Force. Surely with as strong of a Force signature as his father had, the locations where he'd been at his absolutely best as a Jedi would still hold on to some of that energy; enough for Luke to tap into it and feel it for himself.

He glanced over at the Astromech that sat quietly in the corner of his room. "Hey R2: you up for an extended adventure?"

The droid came to life, his photosensor lens glowing bright as if he'd been woken from sleep. He chirped and woo'ed cheerfully.

"Sure, you sound excited now, but I'll be dragging you all over the galaxy. Places maybe even _you've_ been before."

The droid spun his domed head, a string of questioning sounds emitting from him.

Luke set the notebook and data pad on a nearby table and then settled onto his side, his arms pushing beneath his pillow. "If you've been to the places we're going, then you know even more than I ever will. Maybe you can fill in some of the blanks I can't find on my own." He closed his eyes as he let out a long yawn. "We can figure it all out tomorrow. Or later today. Whatever day it is."

R2 chirped agreeably, and then his photosensor eye dimmed once more. Across the room, Luke fell asleep in a matter of minutes. For the first time in six months, the Force did not urge him to do anything other than rest.

* * *

Luke slept until noon the next day.

By the time he rose, showered, dressed in khaki fatigues (with his flight suit at the ready nearby), it took all of a half hour. His dark blonde locks remained damp and limp over his forehead as he sorted through his gear and supplies on the floor. His pile contained the usual items he would need for a two week trip across the galaxy: a bunch of clothes, ration bars and other nonperishable foods, a personal medpac, Obi-wan's journal, his datapad, and of course...his lightsaber.

He clipped his saber to the hook on his belt and sat back on his knees. The weight of it was like an old friend against his hip; a part of his existence he trusted above all else. As he'd lifted it from the case he stored it in, it felt almost like the saber _wanted_ to come along. It felt right hooking it to his belt. It felt _normal_. He may not need to use it against lingering Imperial cells, but there was always the chance. They were still out there; fragmented and leaderless and unwilling to secede to the New Republic. And, since he _was_ going to visit planets he'd never visited before, he may encounter trouble in another form. There were always creatures or hostile life forms no matter where one went in the galaxy; Empire or no Empire.

Luke cast his eyes across his room, trying to see what he might have missed in packing. For all he could tell, he was ready to go. All he needed to do now was tell Leia.

Leaving his packed items in a neat pile by the bed, Luke left his bunker room and wound his way through the halls of the base to where Leia and Han's place was located. He figured he'd try visiting there first, hoping to find Leia alone so he could tell her everything about the discovered journal. If Han was there as well, then he'd let Han decide if he wanted to listen in on the discoveries about Anakin Skywalker. After being encased in carbonite by Vader, Han had every right to listen - or to turn away - from information about who Anakin had been before the Dark Side took him.

As Luke approached the door to Han and Leia's apartment, he raised his knuckles and knocked three times. He waited patiently, but he knew in an instant that Leia was not there. Their bond was absent; the space within the Force where he could sense her felt empty. He reached out through the tether that bound them to one another and could still sense Leia's presence in the Force, but she was not at the base on Yavin 4.

Han confirmed Luke's suspicion when he answered the door.

"She left this morning." He gave Luke a sympathetic half-smile. "Her, Syndulla, and some others left for Kiffu before daybreak. Me and Chewie have plans to meet up with the team later and bring more supplies." With a wave of his hand, he invited him in. "You look like you could use some caff with the size of the bags under your eyes."

Luke stepped inside the apartment with a laugh. "I probably could use some, but I have a journey of my own I should be leaving for shortly. I've already spent too much time dallying."

Han's eyebrow rose slowly. "Does this _journey_ have anything to do with what you went to Tatooine for, by chance?"

"By chance, you are correct."

"Care to let me in on what this journey is about?" Han's eyes pointedly lowered to the lightsaber hanging from Luke's belt and he smirked.

"It's what I wanted to talk to Leia about" Luke began. "It's a bit of a personal thing." He wanted to tell Han everything as much as Han probably wanted to _know_ everything, but he also didn't want him to worry. He had the mission to Kiffu to deal with, and the people in need on that planet would need him to be clear minded.

"A _personal_ _thing_." Han's voice was flat; expectant.

Luke tried to find better words. "I've come across some information about the Clone Wars and what part my father played in them. Based on that information, I've decided to visit some of the key planets he fought on so I can see for myself what he--"

"--Whoa, whoa, whoa. Not so fast!" Han's expression twisted with worry. "What planets are we talking here?"

With a cautionary exhale, Luke reached into his back pocket and pulled out his datapad. He tapped open the map and the path he'd marked out the night before and handed it to Han. Through the flicker of energy in Han's aura, he detected some hesitation as Han studied the datapad. Thankfully, he did not sense fear or anger. He watched as Han studied the map, one finger going to the scar on his chin as he mulled it over.

"Hmm. I see." Han handed back the datapad as both hands came to rest on his hips. "Be careful landing on Felucia." The look in his eyes and the tone of his voice had suddenly taken on that of a concerned father. "The terrain is rough, especially in the southern hemisphere. Not to mention the plant life is as dangerous on that planet as the species that inhabit it."

"Noted" Luke said with a firm nod.

"And Geonosis: similar to Tatooine, but the sand is harder. Feels a little like shale." Han folded his arms over his chest. "Turn your thrusters off sooner than you would when landing on Tatooine -- it'll keep your engines from gunking up and giving you problems when you try to take off again."

Luke smirked. "Any other helpful tips?"

The worry Han felt seemed to melt away as his smile broke across his face. "Nah. Think that's all for now." The pale green of his eyes shimmered with subtle mischief. "But I will say this, for your sister and for myself: if you need us...for _anything_....you let us know."

Luke lowered his head in a long nod of appreciation, feeling his heart swell. "I will, Han."

" _I know_ you can take care of yourself, as I've seen myself countless times now...but you know what I always say..."

"...trips like these tend to get out of hand?" Luke answered, his grin taking up most of his face.

Han laughed. "Exactly."

Luke extended a hand out to him. "I'll make sure to report in when I can, if you promise to tell Leia I'll explain everything to her the next chance I get."

After a moment's pause and a smirk to match, Han clasped his hand in Luke's. "You got it, kid."

* * *

**Outer Rim  
** **Planet: Geonosis  
** **Abandoned Separatist Weapons Factory**

When Luke lowered his X-wing towards the surface of Geonosis, the planet was exactly as Han suggested it would be. The sand was far more coarse than that of Tatooine; the landscape appearing as one long burnt brownish orange stone. Narrow columns of undulating sandstone stood tall amongst the landscape, dotting the otherwise barren earth. Their columns jutted upwards from thick bases, which Luke knew to be the Geonosian hives which the race had once lived within. The race that had once been attacked and defeated by the Republic and the Jedi who served them, only to be wiped out by genocide decades later by the Empire...

...all of which had been led by his father.

It was the reason Luke had chosen to visit Geonosis first. Not because his father had fought tirelessly and bravely for the Republic to destroy the Separatist droid factory, but because of the duality of his father's role in the planet's history. As a Jedi, Anakin Skywalker had helped win a major victory that aided the Republic in the Clone Wars. But, as the Sith Lord he would later become, Vader returned to the planet and took the droid factory back for himself and the Empire, using it to help construct the Death Star.

...which, of course, Luke had himself ended.

Twice.

Luke understood the complexity of his family and the role each of them played in the fate of the galaxy. It was what kept him awake a night despite the war finally coming to an end. He racked his brain with questions about his father's two faced life and he wished he knew what his father had felt. What had it been like to be a hero somewhere, and then turn around and become the enemy in the same exact location years later? Had he felt guilt? Had he felt anything at all? Did he remember being the hero once, or did he shut any memory of it out of his mind? It was these questions that Luke wanted answers to, and it was these questions that brought him to this desolate planet in search of answers.

These thoughts weighed heavy on his mind as he brought his ship in for landing. He followed Han's instructions and disengaged his thrusters long before he usually would. Even so, the unforgiving layer of sand below created such a tremendous dust cloud that he worried that he hadn't shut his thrusters off soon enough. Luckily, once he powered down the engines and R2 performed his post-flight checks, the droid beeped a confident call up to the cockpit that they had avoided the harmful impacts of the sand within the engines.

Luke lifted off his helmet with an exhale. "Well...one challenge avoided, at least." He peered through squinted eyes beyond the still-circling cloud of sand, watching the granules fell on the cockpit shield in a dense layer. Within seconds, all visibility beyond was blocked by the soot. He waited a few more minutes for the dust to settle outside and then carefully released the cockpit shield, watching the layer of dust slide off like water.

When he stood up and got his first clear look at the planet, he felt an immediate tug inside his heart at what he was looking at. The shell of a weapons factory - _the_ weapons factory, all things considered - loomed like a shadow in the distance. Long destroyed and left for abandon, the site lay crumpled as though a bomb had been deployed somewhere at its center. Pillars of sandstone in once-elaborate shapes lay toppled on their sides; broken, decrepit, and left to the destructive hands of time, as well as the unforgiving winds and sand. It looked lonesome. Not at all a symbol of power that it must have been before its demise. Luke tried to see the abandoned site as Anakin might have: imposing and fearsome in its hay day during the Clone Wars. Though he knew the Empire had used this place most recently, Luke was more interested in the battle hard fought and won by the Republic. A battle fought and won by his father, the Jedi, and by his friend, Obi-Wan Kenobi.

But the factory itself was not what Luke wanted to visit. He wanted to see the main location Obi-Wan had mentioned within his journal: the eastern barrier wall that had once protected the factory and its shield generator. Anakin had been a key figure in destroying both, and after reading Obi-Wan's entry, it left Luke with a genuine curiosity to see what remained of both. Also noted within the journal was what happened following the battle, when Anakin nearly lost his own padawan in the toppling of the factory. It had been an obvious point of contention, evident in the language used by Obi-Wan. Apparently Anakin cared very deeply for the life of his padawan. Something Luke found only natural and respectable, but the Jedi Order did not deem it so.

_Always more questions, but never any answers,_ Luke thought glumly.

He leapt down from the cockpit onto the hardened surface below and scanned eastward towards the location where the battle wall had once stood. He'd kept the landing site purposely far enough away that would require him to walk to the site itself, hoping to find clues along the way that might aid in him connecting with any remaining Force signature that might be there.

Turning back to the X-wing, Luke called up to his droid. "You with me, R2?"

R2's thrusters ignited, pushing him out of his seat in the back of the X-wing. He lowered down onto his three legs next to Luke and together, they began their trek towards the wall.

On their way there, Luke reached out with the Force to see if he could sense any other living thing around them, but his search came back empty. It was really was as desolate as it appeared. But even as Luke studied the landscape before him, he tried to see it with the eyes of someone in battle. He'd fought in enough now to see a landscape for more than its looks. Natural features jutting out of the landscape were viewed as areas to hide behind or to attack from. The sand could aid an incoming fleet to hide from the enemy as much as it could hinder their flight formation and attack sequence. Strategizing had become as natural to Luke as breathing, and he almost chuckled despite himself.

As he and R2 came closer to where the Republic's battle had raged, the past became more evident. Pieces of metal stuck out of the hardened ground. Luke couldn't place many of the items, but the larger scrap metal appeared to him as broken and blasted shards of gunships. One piece that stuck out of the sand, though it had been badly worn by time, still bore the faint markings of the Republic's symbol on its exterior. As soon as Luke recognized it as such, he jogged over to the piece of metal. "Hang on, R2."

R2 halted and turned, watching as Luke stood solemnly before the metal.

It was as close as Luke had ever been to something from the days of Obi-Wan and Anakin, and of his mother, the Republic senator who'd fought along with the Jedi to keep peace in the galaxy. And here it was: the symbol of those times, still painted on the side of whatever forgotten gunship it had gone down with.

Removing the glove from his flesh hand, Luke raised his open palm to the metal and closed his eyes. He wasn't sure if it would work, but it was why he was here. If he could sense any part of his father here in the little history that remained, then it would be worth the attempt.

Steadying his breath, Luke felt through the infinite source of the Force within him, sensing for anything he could that would link him back to this part of the past. To any part of his father or his father's presence here. He waited. He reached further. But nothing came.

Reluctantly, he lowered his hand away from the metal. Beside him, R2 chirped a question to him. With a half smile, Luke shook his head. "Nothing this time. But that doesn't mean we won't have luck somewhere else. Let's keep going."

The pair continued their walk together towards the location of the eastern wall, and Luke maintained hope in his heart. Maybe the ship the metal belonged to hadn't been one his father lead or had been on. He hadn't sensed any lingering presence of Obi-Wan's Force signature either, so he wasn't entirely sure if he was even searching correctly. But something inside him told him to keep going. Just as it had back on Yavin, the feeling lingered inside him: _Go. Search_. So he carried on.

Eventually, the orange-brown landscape morphed to that of a ravine. Luke felt a sense of familiarity about the place he hadn't expected. He realized he was looking up at the location where the battle wall had been; the one his father had taken out, as described in perfect detail in Obi-Wan's notebook. Standing for a moment with eyes gazing upward, Luke could see where the wall had once been. Despite the wind and sand wearing away at what was left, it wasn't hard to picture what it once must have been. Two giant sandstone monoliths stood in the shadow of the old weapons factory near the east side, forming the pillars that once housed the protective wall in between. It was exceedingly high, as evident by jagged pieces of the wall's edges that still remained. Boulders and chunks of stone littered the bottom; a lasting reminder of what must have been a humongous blast.

_"How'd you do it?"_ Luke whispered under his breath. He stared up at the massive columns of sandstone and the gap between where the wall once stood. _"How'd you bring something like that down?"_

He'd been so lost in his thoughts that he hadn't noticed R2 had wheeled away. Only when he heard the droid's strings of whistles and beeps did he pull his attention to where R2 had gone. He hurried the rest of the way to where the giant boulders and stone lay strewn, coming up beside R2 as they stood at what used to be the base of the wall. "What is it, R2?"

The droid spun and pointed, using the light from his photosensor lens. Luke eyed what R2 was making known to him, but all he saw was another pile of crumbled wall pieces and broken stone.

And yet, when he focused on the pile, the tiniest of energy flickered within the Force. Like a tiny ember glowing, but not yet a full flame.

Luke knelt next to the pile of stone and crumbled wall and brushed off what he could of the layer of sand that covered it. The tiny ember flickered hotter inside him, so he placed his bare hand on a piece of the broken wall, closed his eyes once more, and summoned the Force energy around and within him.

There inside him.....that tug that was ever-present....grew stronger now. Something was here. Something from the past that still echoed, and Luke could sense it through the Force and the touch of his hand. It was a whisper of a memory within this place; barely evident and almost completely gone. Luke focused on this, putting all his effort into singling out this sensation he felt as he used the Force; gathering the energy of the planet, the presence of the winds, the motion of the sand, the heat of the sun above...any natural element he could breathe through him and into the stone beneath his fingers.

And there it was: like a tiny whisper down a long hallway, the memory of the past taking the form of clouded visions inside his mind: clones running. Ships passing overhead. Red laser bolts. A flash of green. A flash of blue.

Luke pressed on. He remained steady. His breathing calm. His mind focused.

The whisper finally found its voice and called more strongly to him through the energy around him and that which flowed within him. The same blood, the same sense of control, and the pure, inherited talent.

And then Luke saw him.  
No, he _felt him._

His father: Anakin Skywalker. He was here, in this place. Luke felt his confidence. His unshakable courage. It reverberated through the stone beneath his hand and echoed in the pillars that stood around him. It radiated in the energy signature that still clung to this place.

He was _here_.

"Father..."

The word was barely audible as it left his mouth. He hadn't realized he'd said anything at all, not while he felt the Force signature - as faint as it was - emanating from the stone. He hardly felt as though he was breathing. His entire focus was on the feelings inside him and around him.

_"...Son."_

Luke opened his eyes, his breath suspended in his chest. He blinked, unmoving, his heart beginning to race.

"Father?" His voice cracked; whether it was dry from the sandy planet or from his welling emotions, he wasn't sure.

No one was there. Not that he could see, but he _felt_. He reached out through the Force to reconnect to the signature he'd locked on to just a few moments earlier, but he could feel it slipping away. He reached desperately, but it was like reaching out into the void of space. The images, the energy, the feeling of his father's presence was gone. It was as it had been before; a pile of rubble from a long forgotten battle.

Slowly, Luke rose to his feet. He stared down at the stone he'd been touching, still feeling a lingering sense of his father with him. Had he imagined what he heard? Or could it have been his father reaching out to him through the Force?

R2 rolled towards him slowly; apprehensively, if a droid could look such a way. Luke pulled his eyes from the rubble and back to his companion and managed a smile. "I felt something that time."

The Astromech made a cheerful whirpping sound, which helped to broaden Luke's smile. "Maybe so, but I'm at least on the right track." With the wave of his hand, he motioned for R2 to follow. "Come on. Let's head back to the ship."

R2 didn't waste any time, and he was quickly rolling off into the direction they'd come from earlier. Luke followed behind, but still - his heart throbbed heavy inside his chest at the feeling he had only moments earlier.

Glancing back over his shoulder, Luke gave the site one final look before setting his sights ahead of him.

What he hadn't known was that deep below rubble, beneath the fallen stone and crumbled pieces of the wall, lay the broken fragments of a Clone Trooper's helmet. It belonged to one of the men who fought alongside Anakin, who he'd saved from a close brush with death. He'd lost his helmet in the fray, but not his life. It was the object R2 had seen from a quick scan with his sensors, and was the object that had given Luke what he was in search of finding.

* * *


	3. Chapter 3

**Outer Rim**   
**Planet: Maridun  
Lurmen village  
**

The journal entry regarding the defense of a village on Maridun was one that intrigued Luke, not just in the way that Obi-Wan had written of Anakin Skywalker's leading role in defending the village, but because Obi-Wan had not actually _been_ there during the events he'd written about. The entry itself had been written from memory of an account given by Anakin's padawan; a fixture who appeared in many of the tales Obi-Wan had recounted throughout the journal.

What Luke knew of his father's padawan, Ahsoka Tano, was limited. She had lived through Order 66. She'd also lived through the Empire's final days, but Luke knew little else of the Jedi other than that. Her name was spoken of throughout the galaxy with great reverence and an air of mystery, but she worked and traveled alone. He heard rumors she had been an influence in various battles and liberated settlements before, during, and even after the War. Mysteriously, she never lingered long anywhere she was ever rumored to be. She was as mystical as the stories told about her, and Luke wondered why that was. If the only padawan of Anakin Skywalker still lived and breathed, he wished to meet her. Perhaps somewhere along this journey he'd be able to locate her, or at least hear of her latest whereabouts. If the Force guided him to find her on this adventure, he would welcome it.

Luke closed the journal and stared out the windows of the X-wing cockpit. R2 had taken the controls for the time so he could gather the exact location where they needed to land, which hadn't been easy. There wasn't anything specific in the entries, but given the description Obi-Wan provided he was sure he could find at least the quadrant of the planet where the battle had taken place. The exact site, however, would prove more difficult to locate than the one on Geonosis, and by a long shot.

Eventually, the strange planet of Maridun came into view and Luke placed the journal inside his backpack. He flipped a few levers and buttons and then his hands reclaimed their usual position on the throttles. "I'll take control back now, R2. Thanks for the break."

The droid beeped happily in return.

"Perform a complete bioscan as we fly in" Luke added, beginning to lower into the atmosphere. "I don't want any surprises, especially since this is all strange territory to me."

R2 obliged and Luke's screen changed to a gridded output of the planet as the X-wing's scanning devices loaded all the "hot spots" where concentrated areas of life forms were located. Luke studied these as they filtered in one by one, wondering which one he should try first. Within the entry, Obi-Wan's described the battle as being in the southwest quadrant, so that helped a little. The only other descriptor that might be helpful was the giant burn scar that resulted from the Separatists testing out one of their weapons: one that decimated everything in the path of its blast radius.

The thought of it turned Luke's stomach. He couldn't help but wonder where Palpatine, or Vader, had gotten the idea of the Death Star from. Palpatine had been the sole puppet handler of the Clone Wars, so it came as no surprise that each of the weapons used during that war eventually contributed to those used by the Empire he created. Nevertheless, Luke had to curb his anger knowing that such a weapon's beginnings were tested on backwoods planets where innocent civilians were the test subjects, no matter who pulled the strings.

If anything entailing such a residual scar still remained on the land after all these years, Luke would have to get as close as he could to the surface to see it.

_Not a problem_ , he thought with a smirk, bringing the X-wing deeper into the planet's atmosphere. _Just so happens that I love a little near-surface flying._

He navigated to the southwestern sector of the planet, honing in on the hot spots R2 was gathering from the bioscan. There were only three in the entire sector, which told him the planet was as sparsely populated now as it had been described in Obi-Wan's journal. This, at least, might make his search for the exact colony a bit easier.

Assuming it was still there, of course. The inhabitants could have moved since then, leaving behind any stain the war had left on their lands. If that was the case, Luke couldn't blame them. But, same as he always did, he held on to hope that they still remained.

After the heaviness of his thoughts and emotions on Geonosis, he found a surprising lightness of attitude and spirit as he piloted down to only a few thousand feet from the surface. Whenever he found himself wore down by life, he could always count on flying to improve his spirits -- and near surface flying like he was doing now was _always_ a welcomed joy. The quick movements, the angled maneuvers, the tight turns...he loved all of it. It filled him with a rush he missed after the War. There wasn't much out there any more that tested his flying skills, so here he decided to have a little fun. He pushed the engines of his X-wing harder, increased his speed, and swerved in and around the landscape at a daring speed. Below, the field grass flattened in his wake as if waving to him.

Maybe it was the lazy clouds that dotted the sky, or maybe it was the wide open, lush plains beneath his ship. Or perhaps it was just the clean, untouched, unbothered feel of the planet that left him feeling lighter in spirit. Geonosis was historically horrible in every way, but Maridun was a stark contrast in every sense that Luke could see (so far, at least). He still had the inhabitants to inspect before he gave it his final stamp of approval. But so far, he really loved what he had seen so far.

And while the terrain of Maridun was mostly grassy plains, it was occasionally dotted here and there with clusters of flat-topped, leafy trees. As Luke approached a cluster of such trees, he had to do a double take the first pass he made. On the trees hung massive seed pods, which at first he thought were homes built into the trees, much like the Ewoks on Endor. Upon doing a second, slower pass, he could see they were just seeds. Enormous, bulbous seeds. He soared between clusters of trees, expertly weaving the X-wing's body in and around without a scratch on their massive trunks and not once disrupting any of the giant pods.

After punching in a few commands into his navicomputer, Luke pulled the X-wing away from the plains and pointed it towards one of the nearest hot spots of detected life forms on his map. He slowed his speed and lowered the ship even further, barely skimming the a few hundred feet above the surface. He peered out the cockpit, eyeing the land beneath as he flew and searched for any sign of a burn scar or marred look to the landscape. He felt it would be more obvious than not, given how untouched the planet appeared.

From behind the cockpit, R2 whistled a high-pitched squeal. Before Luke could even comment, he saw what R2 already detected. Ahead, as the rolling plains at the edge of the horizon slowly grew closer and closer, a distinct, v-shaped discoloration began to appear in the grass. It stretched outward, fanning out for miles as it grew in length.

"I think we found what we're looking for" Luke radioed to the droid. He flipped a small lever on his console and disengaged half of the engines, bringing the ship around for a slower pass over the marking on the ground below. Whatever created it had been incredibly powerful. The scar on the land was _huge_. And, very clearly, had been made by something unnatural. For something to make such a tremendous mark was not a product of anything natural.

Again, Luke felt his anger flaring. Something inside him grew hotter as he witnessed the extent of the damage, wondering what the hell the Separatists must have been thinking. Who could make a weapon of this kind and test it this way?

As soon as he thought this, he felt a stab of pain in his heart and a wave of regret throughout his body.

Alderaan had suffered the same fate, but on a much, _much_ larger scale.

His sister had watched it, all while standing beside their father as he gave the command.

Luke's fingers tightened around the throttles so hard, the ache he felt brought him out of his mounting anger.

Not to mention he nearly missed the colony he just flew over.

Swearing under his breath, Luke eased off the throttles and swung the X-wing around. "Sorry, R2 -- lost in my thoughts again. Is there a landing site or a docking bay near the colony?"

The Astromech whirrped regretfully, though Luke wasn't surprised. He hardly expected a more developed structure like a docking bay or landing pad on a planet like Maridun. It wasn't much of a problem for him, given the amount of open space which he could use to land his ship, though his real concern was offending any of the locals who lived in the colony. He wasn't sure he was even welcomed here, let alone bringing his ship and his droid to their lands without proper docking permissions.

A carefully as he could, he chose a place away from the colony so that his engines and exhaust wouldn't bother anyone living there. He landed his X-wing and killed the engines, happy to not have any sand or soot to wait for before opening the hatch. He lifted his helmet off, shaking his unruly hair away from his forehead and eyes and was thankful to feel the fresh air. He tried to decide what was best to bring with him, especially if he was going to try and visit the colony. So...after a moment's consideration, he decided less was more.

"Maybe you should sit this one out" he told R2 as he stood up from the opened hatch. "Watch the ship while I'm gone. I shouldn't be too long."

R2 responded with a question, which Luke waved a passive hand at. "If you want to clean the exhaust, fine - but I wouldn't leave the ship. I don't think I'll have any issues with whoever lives on this planet, but just in case I do...." He trailed off, leaving the rest unsaid. Much to his liking, the droid agreed to stay _and_ stay out of trouble.

After removing his flight gear and shouldering his backpack, Luke thought about his light saber. It wasn't a good sign walking into a new area with a weapon hanging from your belt, but he didn't want to conceal it either. His intentions were pure. He only wanted information and then he'd be on his way.

Still, he shifted the clip his saber hung from to the rear loop of his belt. If they wanted, they would see it. If they didn't, then there was no harm done either way. He gave a final wave to R2D2, then headed for the colony.

What he discovered there was more than he was prepared for.

Though Obi-Wan had described the sentient species that had emigrated to Maridun as _Lurmen_ , Luke didn't know exactly what a Lurmen was.

_Now_ he did.

The creatures were small, no bigger than a Corellian hound or a Loth cat. They walked on all four legs but could also walk on two, as he could tell as he neared their community. They came out of their homes -- erected seed pods from the trees he'd seen across the planet -- and stood on hind legs to get a better look at him. Their fur was white, gray, and brown, or a combination of those, with fuzzy faces, prominent golden eyes, and whiskers. They wore pedestrian clothing, same as humans would, but with narrow tails covered in fur sticking out of their pants. Their gazes were friendly, but curious. Cautious, but not defensive. They gathered in twos and threes as Luke neared the arched gate to their community, staring with cocked heads at the stranger who decided to interrupt their afternoon.

"Hello there" Luke said with a smile. He raised a hand in welcoming. As he did so, he extended his reach of the Force outward beyond the very edges of the village. He sensed no evil anywhere, and it relaxed what remaining apprehension he had. "Do you speak Basic?"

One of the Lurmen crawled swiftly forward on his hands and feet, then stood on his hind legs. "We do."

Luke held his smile. "My name is Luke. I come peacefully; seeking information about a family member who has had history with your people."

The Lurmen who answered him turned, regarding someone else behind him in the gathering crowd. There couldn't have been any more than 20 or 30 Lurmen visible at the moment, but out of the corner of his eyes, Luke sensed more of the creatures coming out of their homes to see what the fuss was about.

Another Lurmen came forward. He appeared older, but his eyes held a great youth still visible in their golden shade. "I might be able to help you." He glanced at Luke's backpack, then at his clothing, studying him cautiously. "Are you alone?"

"I traveled here alone, yes, save for my Astromech droid who remains with my ship." Luke lowered the backpack, wondering if that might help ease the layer of guardedness they seemed to have. "I am willing to trade food or goods for information, if need be."

Some of the Lurmen liked the sound of this, judging by their perked up ears and tails. Still, the Lurmen that stood before him regarded him in a way that made Luke wonder what he was staring at.

"Are you a Jedi?" the Lurmen asked.

Luke's eyebrows rose. "Do I appear as such?"

"We haven't seen one of your kind in a very long time" the Lurmen male answered. "We lose track of time here, which we don't mind, but it's been...well, decades perhaps. But the last we saw of your kind, they were Jedi."

"The Jedi saved our forefathers and foremothers" said another of the Lurmen. This one was female, with longer brown and white fur and a curved tail. She wore a simple shirt, pants, and a cloth bonnet which she removed and clutched in her tiny hands. "They saved my mother and uncle from death."

Luke watched as the female crawled forward, extending her furry arms to show him the fabric she'd pulled from her head.

"This was my mother's" she told him, gold eyes blinking. "She'd been wearing it the day they were saved by the Jedi, and she wore it every day thereafter for good luck. She gave it to me before she passed, so that I might have the luck of the Jedi with me, even after she was gone."

Luke lowered slowly to one knee and graciously took the cloth bonnet. He studied it with reverence, knowing it was what it deserved. When he handed it back, he gave her a kind nod. "That is a lovely gift she passed on to you. And a lovely story."

"Are you a Jedi, too?" the female asked.

Luke felt dozens of eyes focus in on him in that moment. He was humbled already; unworthy of whatever praise the Jedi that came before him had earned. "I am" he answered.

Hushed gasps filled the silence.

"Show us your sword?" the older Lurmen asked, though not unkindly. There was hope in his eyes and in his voice, as if he needed proof that Luke was who he said he was. "Jedi always carry a glowing sword."

Luke reached behind him and unclipped his light saber. He did not ignite the blade, but presented the hilt in an open palm before the Lurmen.

The eyes of the older Lurmen widened, nearly taking up the entirety of his face. "You are who you say."

Luke gave him a genuine smile and nodded. When he heard some of the Lurmen clap in happiness, he had to hold back a chuckle. He could feel their auras around him as though they were singing. Pulsating happiness, surprise, and genuine joy flowed through the Force, filling his heart with cheer. The Lurmen may have appeared to be a simple species, but Luke knew there was more to them than he first thought. They were intelligent, developed enough to use the land for what they could, and believed in lore, the act of a good deed, and valued their families. More could be said about this species than many humans he'd come across in his lifetime.

"You are welcome here, Luke the Jedi." The older Lurmen smiled, and it brightened his entire face. "My name is Yua Teg."

Luke returned his saber back to its clip on his belt, though remained kneeling so that he was eye level with his new friend. "It is nice to meet you, Yua Teg."

"If there is knowledge that either I or another here can help you with, we shall."

Luke thought carefully about how he wanted to word his request. He earned the trust of these creatures, and he did not want to lose it by using careless speech. "The Jedi you speak of...did you know them?"

Yua Teg looked down briefly, as if saddened. "I did not, but my father did. His name was Wag Too, and he fought alongside the Jedi who last visited us. His stories are the ones we all know, and we know them by heart."

The heads of the surrounding Lurmen all nodded in agreement.

Yua Teg pointed with his small fingers towards the perimeter of the village. "The dead land around us was caused by evildoers. The Jedi saved us from them, but the scarred land stands as a reminder of our family and friends who sacrificed themselves to fight with the brave Jedi. My father was also a healer, and he was able to heal one of the Jedi who was badly injured."

Luke felt his heart skip a beat. Obi-Wan's journal entry mentioned that Anakin was injured prior to the battle on Maridun. "I came here in hopes of learning about the Jedi who saved your village and your families," he told Yua Teg. "Do you remember any of their names?"

" _Skywalker_ " the villagers replied in unison.

Luke felt his throat tighten as his eyes locked on to Yua Teg's.

Yua Teg smiled. "His name was Skywalker."

* * *

Some hours later, Luke stood on the edge of the Lurmen village where blackened dirt met the lush green grass of the village. Yua Teg stood with him; his presence quiet but thoughtful. As Luke surveyed the scarred earth that the Separatist weapon had left behind, he was still amazed it had remained all these years later. It made a perfect circle around the village, following both Obi-Wan's journal description and the story that Yua Teg had told him. Luke spent the hour with Yua Teg and several other Lurmen as they recounted the tale of how Anakin Skywalker had used parts of the Separatist's own tools against them to create a shield around the village. The evidence of its success lay in the perfect circle around the village where the generated shield had kept their village safe while scorching everything else in its path. When the shield finally died, Anakin, the other Jedi, and their Clone troopers took charge and inspired an entire community to fight for themselves and defend their freedom.

It was the kind of tale that left Luke yearning for more. At the same time, it also saddened him. If the Lurmen only knew what had become of the man they so reverently spoke of. This was why Luke would not tell them of Anakin Skywalker's fate, _or_ that he was Anakin Skywalker's son. That part of the story he would leave out, if only out of respect for the history the Lurmen clung to and the memory their loved ones passed on to them.

Lowering to the ground, Luke ran his hand through the dirt and let it spill through the fingers of his robotic hand. "I'm so sorry your families endured such a time, but I am glad the Jedi were there to help."

Yua Teg hopped over next to Luke, his hand coming to rest on Luke's shoulder. "While I was not alive to see it, my father spoke of that time with great respect. He and the others who lived through it considered it a gift. A lesson, if you will."

Luke nodded, though his thoughts were conflicted. Earlier, the Lurmen who gathered around to give him the knowledge he sought spoke of the greatness of Anakin Skywalker and his fellow Jedi. It was the courage and drive he showed that inspired Yua Teg's father and the others. _That_ had been at the forefront of their stories, and it left Luke with a feeling of appreciation for the man his father had been. He hadn't been just a warrior, but a good man with a brave heart that inspired many.

"You never said how you knew the Jedi?" Yua Teg mentioned. "Or if they still live?"

Luke shook his head, his eyes pointed at the ruined soil beneath him. "None live that fought here with your ancestors."

"Did you know them?"

"Only as you do." Luke lifted his gaze. "Through legends and tales."

Yua Teg's tail drooped. "I am sorry you did not know them."

"Me too" uttered Luke. With a deep inhale he stood and brushed his hands the remaining dirt. "I have one more question if I may ask it?"

Yua Teg also stood, rising onto his hind legs. "Of course."

"That I may have a few minutes alone here to myself...to be with my thoughts." He hoped it wasn't rude to ask, especially after talking their arms and legs off for the last hour. "A Jedi often meditates" he continued, hoping to clarify. "I'd like to meditate here for a bit?"

Yua Teg bowed his head low, his small arm sweeping across his chest. "Please. You are our guest, and an honored one. If your people meditate, then I shall leave you to do so. You're welcome to come back to my family's Pod when you are finished."

Luke also bowed to him. "Thank you, Yua Teg. You have been very kind."

Yua Teg nodded once and then scurried back to the village, his tail swinging behind. Luke watched after him, his smile lingering. When he turned his attention back to the scarred earth, he took a seated position with his legs folded in front of him. In each hand he took a bit of the dirt and sat with his palms open on his knees and then closed his eyes. He centered himself, putting all his focus on the dirt in his hands, the lightness in his spirit, and the joy he had since arriving on Maridun. With this, he began to call upon the Force.

Already the effects of his meditation were stronger here than on Geonosis. There was a clarity of mind he hadn't felt on the desert planet, and the energy around him filled him to the core, warming him, stilling him. Something about this planet felt different since the moment he arrived and it was evident in the way he connected with the Force in that moment. There was peace about him and in the lands surrounding the village, including the scarred earth and the dirt he held in his palms. Luke centered his mind on this peace and the peace the Jedi had brought here decades ago.

The silent voice he heard through the Force, the one that spoke through the blood in his veins and in each breath he took, was not just a whisper as it had been on Geonosis. It was as light and airy as the laughter of the Lurmen and the smiles that came so easily to them. As the smile that had come to _him_ as he watched them and listened to their tales. Even now, Luke felt himself smiling as he remained seated, yet he did not stifle it. He allowed himself to feel the joy in his heart while he concentrated on the dirt in his hands and the air around him. He breathed in the joy and exhaled the heaviness of his conflicting thoughts regarding his father.

_I wish I had known you when you were here_ .  
 _What would it have been like to see you at your best? At your most courageous?  
_ _Do I possess that same courage?  
_ _Would you be proud of what I've done as a Jedi? As the son you saw in your final moments?  
_... _Do you forgive me?_

The wind sighed, caressing Luke's skin. He felt it brush against his cheeks, though his smile had now faded.

_"Son..."_

Luke's heart leapt within his chest as he felt the tether that linked him to the Force tighten. His eyes threatened to open but he maintained control of himself.

_Father?_

_"I am proud of you."_

His father's voice. Not the ruined, mechanical voice of Vader, but the stronger, more robust voice of a vibrant man in his prime. It sounded as real as if he was standing in front of him.

_"I am so very proud of you."_

It took everything within him to stabilize his breathing. Unable to hold it any longer Luke opened his eyes, but only burnt land stared back at him. "Father?" He inhaled, steadying the slight tremor in his voice. "Are you there?"

_"I am always with you, Luke."_

Water burned his eyes. Deep in his chest his connection to the Force eased and the tether that had been tight began to loosen. He could feel his grip slipping.

"Can I see you?" he pleaded, wondering if he was talking to himself or the wind or if his father really _was_ there, somehow. But whatever he'd been able to access within himself that had connected him so strongly to the Force was gone. That emptiness he felt on Geonosis was present again; hollow and lonesome and a stark contrast to the warmth and wholeness he'd just felt.

His gaze lowered once more to the dirt in his hands. Somehow...it changed. It was no longer charred black, but now a hearty, ruddy brown. He let the dirt slip through his fingers again, the color a stark contrast to that of the rest of the scarred land. When he looked up again, all the sensations he felt during his meditation were gone. And yet, there was a much greater feeling of peace he'd not known before.

_I am always with you, Luke.  
_ _I am so very proud of you._

His father was out there. He was a part of the Force, and he was a part of _him_. If there was more to learn about his father _or_ himself, he would not stop now.

Luke stood and squared his shoulders. He would keep going, he would keep searching, and he wouldn't stop until his heart found what it needed to find.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the support so far with this story! For those of you who stuck around, we will transition into the beginning of the romance part of the story. This, combined with Luke's personal journey, will now begin to meld into one. I can't wait to share it with you. Stay tuned :) 
> 
> Kudos and comments are always appreciated! Thanks again.  
> -Winter


	4. Chapter 4

**Outer Rim  
** **Planet: Florrum  
** **Doshar Fields Refueling Center**

Luke sat in his parked X-wing at the end of a long line of ships needing fuel, watching idly as the workers went about their tasks on the ground below. He slumped deeper into his chair and stretched his legs over the edge of the open cockpit, crossing his feet at the ankles. It was only the third day of his journey to find the locations listed in Obi-Wan's journal, but the lack of sleep in his usual bed was beginning to take a slow toll. He rolled his neck, feeling how taut the muscles were around his shoulders. He'd been too long gone from extended flying that he was a little embarrassed by the fact it was so noticeable in his body. _More flying, less drinking with Han,_ he thought with a smirk.

Outside, the conditions on Florrum were as hot and stale as ever. The acid pits not far from the refueling center cast periodic clouds of grayish-brown into the air, giving the skyline a dulled appearance. The climate on Florrum wasn't as oppressively hot as what Luke was used to back on Tatooine, but it still caused a slight sheen of sweat to form along his brow from just resting while he waited his turn for fuel. Sitting there in his cockpit seat dressed in all black, his favorite leather jacket balled up behind his head for a pillow, he should have felt hotter than he did.

He rarely frequented the planet, but Florrum had one of the better refueling centers in this sector of the galaxy. Not to mention that several entries within Obi-Wan's journal took place on the arid planet. He considered making a stop to see one of the locations mentioned in the entries, but chose to refuel first. Depending on how long the refueling would take, he would later decide if he would visit one of the locations thereafter. At the pace the workers were currently going, refueling might take all afternoon. There were still several ships ahead of his in line. Some were star fighters and wouldn't take long, but others were much larger. Two bulk freighters and one cargolift vessel stood between him and the others, which he knew would take far longer to load.

At least there was plenty to look at.

As a whole, Florrum boasted species of all kinds, especially at this particular center. Luke spotted one of almost every kind of human and non-human race. They came and went below his ship, loading and unloading cargo or simply passing through. He watched groups scuttle out of passenger freights to visit the main hub at the center, likely to use the refreshers and see what kinds of goods were for sale. He eyed a Twi'lek couple who were clearly in love, holding hands and looking at one another as though there wasn't an entire line of ships or dozens of other species anywhere near them. He saw several teenage Chiss laughing and joking with one another near their line of fighters, their laughter loud enough to carry over the sound of all the idling engines. At one point, two Mirilian women walked past them, which caused all of them to cease their boisterous laughter. As soon as the women passed, their laughter resumed, and it made Luke smile.

After two hours of lazing inside his ship, Luke pushed himself upright in his seat and flicked on the atmospheric detection sensors and connected to one of Florrum's orbiting satellites. Within seconds, a picture appeared on his screen showing him the atmospheric movements around his sector of the planet. Nothing too concerning appeared, but when he changed sectors he was confronted with heavily increased motion in an adjacent sector to the north. Having lived on Tatooine for most of his life, he knew exactly what he was looking at.

"A dust storm's headed this way" he called back to R2. "Not for a few more hours, but we need to be outta here by then."

R2 called back with a questioning string of beeps.

"I hope so, too" Luke answered, agreeing with the droid. He _hoped_ they'd be refueled and on their way before then, but he couldn't be certain. If they were still here and the dust storm hit the refueling center, they'd have to lock the ship up tight to avoid internal damage and then head inside the hub to wait it out. Luke was used to this sort of thing, so a little more waiting wasn't exactly a problem.

With this in mind, he settled in and regained his position, crossing his legs at the ankles and resting on the edge of the hatch, his arms comfortably folded over his chest. He closed his eyes in hopes that maybe he could catch a quick nap if nothing else. As he rest his head back against his balled-up jacket and began to relax, he felt an unsteady flicker within the Force around him that urged his eyes to reopen. He sat up slowly, feeling the flicker grow into something more sinister. Something darker.

Standing and peering out beyond his ship, Luke tried to follow the sensation as it fluctuated.

_East._

He spun, directing his gaze past a bulky salvage hauler that was parked some distance away. The sensation he felt grew stronger. Reaching into his backpack, he pulled out his pair of macrobinoculars and centered them on the hauler. Below the ship stood four individuals in dark, nondescript uniforms. In front of them stood three civilians. All three wore helmets in a style he didn't recognize; made of some kind of metal and a narrow eye-shield. They were dressed similarly to one another in pale brown bodysuits with metal shoulder and chest plates. One of the three was a woman, judging by the subtle shape of breasts fashioned into the metal of her chest plate. He watched all of them closely, but reached outward with the Force in their direction. What he felt was urgency....and fear. Tremendous fear that slammed into him, jarring his connection to the Force and causing his muscles to tense.

In the viewfinder of his binoculars, one of the larger uniformed individuals roughed up the helmeted woman. She yanked her arm back, but the uniformed man grabbed her once more, muscling her apart from the others.

Luke felt the woman's wave of fear echo within the Force and dropped his binoculars.

Leaping over the side of his ship, he sprinted as fast as he could through the crowd of workers and civilians. He called upon the Force and filled himself with its power as he ran, letting it build within him. He pushed off the ground, his muscles responded flawlessly, and leapt through the air over a starfighter. He landed at the foot of the salvage hauler in a defensive position, green saber raised as two blaster fires ricocheted off the blade. He deflected them with ease, putting his body between the blasters and the three helmeted civilians. "Go!" he yelled, deflecting more weapon fire. "I'll hold them off!"

The three behind him wasted no time. Luke kept his back to them as he heard their footfalls scramble back up the hauler's open platform. As soon as he sensed they were within the safety of the hauler, he extended both palms out towards the uniformed bodies and shoved with all the strength in the Force he could muster. The push was enough to send them hurling backwards so intensely that two of the bodies slammed into the landing gear of the next ship over. Two others went flying into a pile of stacked cargo crates, nearly splintering them from the force.

Keeping his blade out, Luke ran over to the crates and stood over one of the stunned bodies. It was the middle-aged male who had grabbed the woman. He had cropped, graying hair and a short beard, but there was no sign anywhere on his uniform showing who he worked for. His eyes opened lazily as Luke neared him but made no motion to move.

Grabbing the man by the collar, Luke positioned the blade of his saber near his exposed neck. "Who are you? What did you want with the others?"

A dark snicker left the man's mouth as blood seeped from the corners. "Jedi _filth_."

Luke's anger flared. He tightened his grip and made sure the heat of his saber was more than felt against the surface of the man's skin. He watched his eyes widen as fear echoed through his aura. "What do you want with those people?"

The man glanced from the blade up into Luke's face. It seemed then that a wash of realization settled into his stare. "You're....the one....." He coughed, though it came out as a gurgle. "The one...who destroyed... _everything._ "

Through the Force, Luke could feel the hate and resentment the man had for him. His aura was fading, but the sheer, deep seated anger within him burned as hot as lava. The only other time he'd felt this level of hatred had been on the Death Star. Such hatred. Such pure malice, all concentrated and pulsing in one area. It was the same sensation he felt now as the man stared at him through defiant eyes.

"I'm not going to ask again. _Who do you work for?_ " Luke demanded.

The man spit at his feet. "You'll pay.....for what happened...." He coughed again. " _Someday_...."

As he choked a final time, a burst of blood spewed down both sides of his mouth. Luke watched as the light left his eyes and his aura dimmed. When he could no longer sense him among the living, he lay him back onto the pavement. He stood, eyeing the others he hit with the Force. They did not move, but they weren't dead. He could still sense their vibrations.

Another flicker of fear rippled through him.

_Behind._

Luke spun, witnessing another uniformed body hauling away one of the helmeted three...the same woman one they were harassing before he arrived. She was in a headlock, being drug against her will as her feet pushed and kicked in a frantic attempt to stop him.

As fast as lightning, Luke took off at a sprint. His feet were quick and light, barely making a sound as he came upon them from behind. In a singular fluid motion, he extended his hand, flicked his wrist towards himself, and watched as the arms of the uniformed man were pulled apart. The woman dropped to the ground as Luke flung himself over her body and landed with his boots planted squarely on the uniformed man's chest, knocking him onto his back. He positioned himself over him and pointed the end of his saber directly at the man's forehead. "What do you want with her?"

The man beneath him began to laugh. He continued to laugh, eyes wild, as he reached into the pocket of his uniform jacket and popped something into his mouth. He chewed feverishly, smiling at Luke with a maniacal stare. Seconds later, his eyes drifted upward and went blank.

Luke withdrew his blade and knelt down, feeling for a pulse. Whoever the man was, he was dead; poisoning himself instead of revealing his identity. _What a waste_ , he thought.

When he stood and checked on the woman, he was thankful to see she was okay. He went to her, but kept a respectful distance. "Are you alright?"

The woman stood up shakily and nodded. She said nothing; her expression hidden behind the helmet.

Some distance away, a loud rumble and a blast of engines were heard, drawing both Luke and the woman's attention back towards the hauler. The lumbering ship began to lift off of the tarmac as its platform slowly withdrew, sealing the ship up tight before it pulled up and away from the surface. Luke glanced beside him as the woman took a few steps forward, gazing up at the departing hauler. He felt a wave of disappointment radiating from her. "They aren't going to wait for you?"

She shook her head despondently as she turned towards him. She lifted off her helmet and a mess of short dark hair fell about her face; one side styled longer and angled down around her chin, the other side cut shorter near her ear. Though her skin was naturally fair, her cheeks were flushed from the heat. Her eyes were a rich, earthy shade that shimmered with a soulful depth. Luke could have lost himself in their brilliance; a million flecks of gold and brown all wrapped into one. She stared at him thoughtfully, though her mouth remained a tightly drawn line. "They're traitors. I knew they would betray me eventually."

Her voice was accented, similar to Obi-Wan's, but it was confident. None of the disappointment Luke felt in her auric field could be sensed in its tone. "I'm sorry" he told her, not sure what else to say.

The woman merely shrugged.

Luke studied the pale brown bodysuit she wore more closely. It hugged her body well enough that it was easy to see she had an athletic body beneath. Simple leather boots adorned her lower legs and matched her utility belt. At the curve of her hip sat a holster containing a small blaster, which Luke noted she hadn't used during the skirmish. All things considered, it seemed as though she was a shipyard worker or a mechanic by trade. But what Luke found most intriguing were the metal shoulder plates and the matching metal chest plate that adorned her upper body. Particularly the shoulder plates, where it was clear that a symbol of some kind had been meticulously scratched off until none of it was remained. Whatever she was doing, she was doing her best to lay low.

He motioned towards the dead man in the uniform. "Do you know these people? Or why they would attack you?"

"They're Imperial."

" _Imperial?_ "

The woman's mouth curled into a half smile. "You sound surprised, Jedi."

"Because I am" Luke answered. At least now he knew why the dying man felt so much vitriol for him. He _remembered_ him. He knew him for his role in the Empire's collapse.

"I should be the one surprised." She calmly nodded at the saber hilt still in his hand. "Your kind is far more rare than theirs."

Luke almost forgot he'd been holding his light saber. His brain was full of questions, and it took him a moment to process the fact that Imperial renegades were showing themselves in public places, harassing others, and opting to take a poison pill when confronted. It suddenly felt as if nothing in the past six months had changed at all.

"I should go" the woman said, placing the helmet back over her head. "There will be more arriving. I guarantee it."

"Do they have a cell here? How organized are they?" Luke needed to know, because _Leia_ needed to know. If they could cut them off before they grew too large or too bold--

"--I don't have time to explain" the woman pleaded. "I'm telling you, more are _coming_."

She turned to leave but Luke halted her with a hand on one of her metal shoulder plates. "You shouldn't go alone. At least let me escort you to wherever it's safe." He couldn't see her eyes through the darkened visor, but he sensed her hesitation. She wanted him to join her, but she was scared. Scared of many things, it seemed - but wise enough to consider his offer.

"Fine. But we have to hurry."

Luke gave her a nod. "Lead the way. I'll keep an eye out."  
  


* * *

  
Silre couldn't believe her luck.

It had been a mess of a trade deal from the start, but she didn't think for a second that Florrum's hideaway Imperials would actually show themselves here, in as public a place as a refueling center, to try and steal her goods. To steal _her_.

All those months of work down the drain. It left more than a sour taste in her mouth as she watched her hard work fly away with the two scoundrels she teamed up with. She'd gone into this deal mistrusting them, and now it seemed she'd be leaving it just as she entered it. Left behind, betrayed, and with a great deal of mistrust in her already-shielded heart.

And now she was standing in front of a Jedi.

A _Jedi_.

He stared at her with the most expressive blue eyes she'd ever seen. There was no betrayal in those eyes; only kindness. Infinite kindness. He'd come out of nowhere and dealt with the Imperials, giving her a chance to run. But because of her surprise, she completely misjudged there would be another Imperial coward hiding away. She'd been so taken aback by the sight of a lightsaber that she almost got herself killed...or worse, taken. All because of her own carelessness. She was smarter than that. Quicker than that. She could not allow herself to be distracted again.

And now the Jedi stood before her looking as though the scuffle had been no big deal. He wasn't even out of breath. Crazier yet, he seemed to have no idea that the men were Imperial. Surely he must have? Surely he'd been following this entire trade deal from the start, hoping to get an edge on the lingering Imperial cell in hopes of taking them out? But no. He stood there, blue eyes wide and searching her gaze for answers as though he'd been left out of the entire thing. Weren't Jedi supposed to know......well, _everything_?

She had just as many questions as it looked like he did, but she didn't have time. If the trade deal had been an ambush the whole time, then the others were almost certainly coming. The Imperials may be fragmented across the galaxy, but they weren't stupid. They didn't lose their intelligence overnight, no matter how many Death Stars blew up.

"You shouldn't go alone" said the Jedi. "At least let me escort you to wherever it's safe."

Silre hesitated. Gods, she wanted to trust him. She needed to trust him, if only to heal a fraction of the damage from the stain of betrayal within her heart. She'd been betrayed many times before today's events, but it never hurt any less when it happened.

And yet....those eyes. They spoke to her. His kindness spoke to her. It was so palpable she could feel it.

"Fine. But we have to hurry." She quickly put her helmet on and turned away, trying to shield herself from the security of his gaze.

"Lead the way." His voice was just as steady as his demeanor. "I'll keep an eye out."

They left together, but Silre kept pace ahead of him. She wove between ships and ducked between stacked cargo palates, ensuring they remained as hidden as possible and away from most of the crowds. They emerged on the other side of the refueling center's busiest intersection and hurried behind another loading bay, making their way towards the exit. Silre sensed the Jedi behind her, but he was barely audible. She had to glance over her shoulder to even be sure he was following.

He smiled at her, and two subtle dimples emerged.

Silre quickly turned her head and kept her focus in front of her. She always pictured the Jedi to be aged and withered, yet this one was dashingly handsome. _And_ young. Perhaps her brother's age? She didn't know, nor did she have time to ask. The questions ate at her as they hurried through the last of the docking yards and out into the openness beyond the center's outer edges. A parking area with lines of pedestrian speeders waited just beyond, and Silre picked a row that contained a few smaller landspeeders, one of which she was fully prepared to steal. "I have a place we can go, but I'm afraid it won't be glamorous."

The Jedi's smile grew slightly crooked. "Just as long as you're safe there, I don't mind what it looks like."

"Grab one" she told him, throwing her leg over the side of one of the vehicles. "And no, it's not mine."

The Jedi hesitated. "These aren't yours?"

"No, but I'll be sure to return them when we're finished." She gave him a placating smile even though he couldn't see it. "You're either with me or you're not, Jedi."

"But I have a ship we could--"

"-- _No time_ " she argued gently. She didn't want to be rude, but time was running thin. She'd been lucky this far and she wasn't about to waste it arguing over the morality of borrowing a couple of speeders.

After a moment's thought, the Jedi hopped on the speeder adjacent to hers. Silre watched as his long legs expertly positioned themselves on the pedals and his hands engaged all the correct commands on the naviboard to fire it up. She couldn't help but notice one of his hands remained gloved while the other was bare. He wore it on the same hand he used to wield his light saber, so maybe it was just part of the whole uniform.

Silre kicked her speeder into gear. "Follow me!" She gave the engine more fuel and angled the vehicle towards the open fields beyond, wasting little time in getting it up to max-speed. She checked behind to see if the Jedi was still with her, but his gaze was turned upward to the sky. When Silre also looked up, she spotted a Nebulon-series frigate pass overhead, its landing gear already lowering out of its inverted V-shaped body. When she looked back at the Jedi, he gave her single, solid nod. Apparently, he didn't need any more convincing.

Silre gunned the speeder. She didn't check to see if the Jedi was still with her, even though she knew he was. He seemed the type that wouldn't leave her alone until he was convinced she was safe. As kind as the gesture was, it made her a little uncomfortable. She wasn't used to anyone being this nice to her without wanting something in return. She was willing to give him a chance, but she needed to be careful.

They sped past the sand and crystalline hills that made up Florrum's terrain beyond the refueling center. Occasionally they passed an acid pit, keeping a wide berth to avoid any harm from the gas that constantly spewed from their depths. Silre was glad to have her helmet; the tiny bits of crystalline and the constant blowing sand had to hurt the Jedi's exposed skin and eyes. She wondered if maybe she'd been selfish to take him up on his offer and accept his help. It wasn't like she couldn't fend for herself. If the past year has taught her anything, it was how to fend for herself and make her own way across this galaxy.

When Silre finally saw the shadow of her hideaway not far off in the distance, she could finally breathe a sigh of relief. She knew it was there because she knew where to look for it, but anyone else would have a difficult time finding the hiding spot. She'd prided herself in finding it; savaging her way across this planet in search of the perfect abandoned Pirate hideout that was also near enough to a populated area. The Doshar Fields provided more than enough for Silre's needs and her jackpot of a hiding spot had been the icing on the cake.

The Pirates that once dominated this area of the planet loved to use the crystalline rock formations to house themselves as they pilfered their way from market to market. Most of the old hideouts had fallen into squalor. Others, like the one Silre had claimed, had been reasonably well-kept. She wondered if someone came before her and did the same as she was currently doing, looking for somewhere temporary to stay while they figured their new life out. If so, then Silre aimed to keep the trend alive and well within her little cavern home away from home. And while the place wasn't huge, and certainly wasn't anything to brag of, it was enough for her while she searched for work and made enough money to move on.

She pulled up to the hiding spot, gauging the Jedi's reaction as she dismounted her speeder. If he was phased by the sand and crystalline particles on their ride, it didn't show. If he disapproved of the cave, that also didn't show.

"That frigate..." he began.

Silre waved him to follow her inside. "That was them." She ducked beneath the overhanging stone entrance to her cavern-like hideaway and removed her helmet. She tossed it on a small wooden table; one she'd built from spare palate boards from the cargo yard. There was only one chair, and she offered it to the Jedi.

He raised his gloved hand. "Thank you, but it's your home. You can have it."

"It's not my home." She waited for the question she thought would come, but it never came. Instead, the Jedi ran his eyes thoughtfully over the walls and the ceiling, its uneven surface and undulating stone walls not once garnering any of the reaction she thought he would have. "I'm only staying here temporarily. All of this is temporary."

This interested him. "Where is home for you, then?"

Silre snorted quietly. "I don't even know anymore."

"I know what you mean" he replied, voice faltering for the first time since they'd met. A sadness appeared in the blue shade of his eyes, as if the light had been dimmed by his own doing.

It moved something in Silre's heart for him, though she didn't understand why. It also made her feel like she had been incredibly rude to this individual who showed nothing but concern for her since their untimely meeting. "Thank you for saving me, by the way." She looked at him and tried to smile. It was hard for her to smile anymore. "I'm sorry it wasn't the first words out of my mouth, because it should have been."

The Jedi took a step forward. "It's okay. We didn't have time, but...." He glanced around the cavern and the lightness in his eyes returned. "Seems we do now."

Silre cocked her head. "You were only supposed to escort me. As far as I'm concerned, you're no longer bound to my well being."

"I never was. It was my choice."

Nervousness flittered across her skin. "I don't even know your name."

"I don't know yours either." His smile remained. " _Or_ why you have a band of Imperials trying to hurt you."

A sigh left her lips. She supposed she owed him at least that much of an explanation. It was the very least she could give him in return for saving her. She forced herself to ignore the fear in her heart and extended her hand. "Silre Triss."

Hearing this, the Jedi's eyes seemed to dance. He extended his own hand, clasping it in hers. "Luke Skywalker."  
  


* * *

  
Luke stared beyond the entrance of the small cavern to the horizon line. The wall of dust was moving in, and fast. He knew R2 would ready the ship in his absence, though he felt a little guilty leaving as quickly as he did without at least letting his droid know. It wasn't the first time he'd pulled this before with R2, and it certainly wouldn't be the last. It was why he could always rely on his companion to cover for him if he had to run off like he did.

Retreating back into the dim interior of the cave, he gave Silre a regretful look. "It's about 40 klicks out."

"Guess we should settle in." She offered him a small wooden mug of heated water full of crushed herbs and Luke gladly accepted.

He took a seat across from her spot on the rug, crossing his legs and inhaling the water's sweet aroma. In the short time they'd been there, Silre had gotten a fire going and unfurled a braided rug to cover the earthen floor. Given the limitations of the former Pirate cave, Luke was impressed at how homey she managed to make the hideout. One thing stood out among the outfittings within the hideout and that was the amount of electronic contraptions she had. None of them seemed to be purchased but appeared as though they were made by hand. Lighting fixtures had been constructed of makeshift parts and equipment. There was a heating plate for cooking food made from the spare parts of a ship's engine coils. Next to that sat a neatly made personal aqua purifier.

"Did you construct all of these?" he asked, nodding towards the gadgets.

Silre gave him a half-smile. "Yes."

Luke was impressed. His questions just kept piling up, but it seemed he was about to have at least another hour or two to gain all the knowledge he sought while they waited out the dust storm.

Silre's dark eyes found his once more, and the half-smile she wore grew to a full one. It brightened her face in a way that Luke found incredibly attractive. "So..."

"So." He repeated, wondering what was coming next.

"Sorry I didn't answer you earlier." Her gaze settled on the fire. "I'm more guarded than I probably should be, especially around good people." Her eye flicked his direction.

Luke understood her caution. It was wiser to be the way she was in such an unstable time in the galaxy. "I just wish to learn more about you. Where you're from. Why you're here. Why you're running from Imperials, and why your so-called friends deserted you so quickly." He raised one of his eyebrows to accent the last one. "Forgive me, but it's probably no surprise that I feel a sense of responsibility whenever Imperials are involved."

This seemed to ease her. She took a drink of her tea as she mulled it over. "We can start with your first question, but only if you agree to answer to the same questions."

"It's a deal."

Silre inhaled, giving her time to find her words. "I've lived most of my life on Kuat. Not _on_ the surface, mind you. My family wasn't rich enough to live on the surface. Our home was in the drive yards, where my family and I worked and lived. My parents built ships that the Republic Army used once upon a time ago. As soon as I was old enough my brother, sister, and I began working as well. During the War, we built ships for both the Rebel Alliance and the Empire. When the war ended..." She drifted off, lost in a reverie. "I was long gone by then. For the past year or so I've been trying to live on my own, finding work wherever I can. I want to build up enough credits to live somewhere good. Have stable work. Work that doesn't force me to pick a side."

"Pick a side?" Luke frowned. "You had difficulty choosing between the Rebellion and the Empire?"

"No. Not _at all."_ Her answer came out with a flare of heat, but it waned quickly. "What you have to understand about Kuat is that credits talk, especially when you and your family are poor and your government is much, _much_ wealthier." She shook her head and looked down. "It's what broke me. I couldn't take it, so I left. I left everyone behind, because even though they didn't want to make a choice...I did."

Luke could feel a wall of guilt so vast and impenetrable through Silre's aura that it caused an aching in his heart. He waited, hoping she would continue, but through his connection to the Force he could tell she was closing up again. Her guardedness was her familiarity. Her safety blanket. It was clearly a difficult subject for her, especially with a stranger.

"I don't think it broke you at all" he told her quietly. "It takes strength to leave everything you've ever known and everyone you love. Yet you did what you had to, despite how hard it was." There was an emotional tug deep in his heart as he recalled a younger version of himself leaving everything he ever knew and the people he loved. It hadn't been that long ago, but he felt ages older and so much different than the boy he was when he left Tatooine. He honored those emotions, but put them to the side for the time being. He gave Silre a genuine smile, and she gave one in return.

"You certainly have a way with words" she told him.

"I have a little experience in this area." He took a sip of his tea, watching Silre's dark eyes settle on his mouth.

"You left your home too?"

"I did." Luke paused, realizing no one had ever really asked him about his past before. Not on a personal level, anyway. They either already knew who he was at the sound of his last name or they knew of him by what he'd done with regards to the Empire. Most of the time, if someone knew who he was, he was regaled with awe or was avoided all together. He carried that weight with him at all times, but it was a lonely one.

"Where was home for you? Or...where do you call home?" Silre asked, expression curious.

"Tatooine, originally" Luke answered. "But my story....it gets pretty complicated." He watched Silre shift her eyes towards the entrance to the cavern. The winds that come before a dust storm had already begun, and the shifting crystalline powder and sand swirled just beyond their safety inside.

"I don't know, we might be here a while" she toyed. Her gaze turned more playful as she looked at him. "And I don't have a whole lot of choices for company while I wait out the storm."

Luke let loose a chuckle. Even Silre laughed a little, and it only added to her prettiness. Luke liked the sound of it. "I left Tatooine about five years or so ago. It seems much longer than that, as most of that time was spent fighting in the War."

"Did you fight with other Jedi?" she asked, lifting her mug to take a drink.

A sadness settled within Luke's chest. "No. I'm.....I'm one of the few that are left."

Silre halted mid-sip. "I thought the Jedi were a large group? Almost like a religion....if that's correct?"

"It used to be in its prime. But as the galaxy changed, so did the Jedi."

"Where did they go?"

Luke's expression darkened. "Exterminated by the Empire."

A pronounced silence hung within the cavern. Luke did his best not to think of the work the Emperor and Vader had accomplished together to rid the galaxy of the Jedi. He quickly changed the subject back to where it was before. "Right now I live on Yavin 4 with my sister. I do not call it home, though I suppose 'home' is wherever my family is. We work tirelessly to repair what the Empire has done, and in the process I hope to find others like myself."

"I heard a Jedi destroyed the Death Star" Silre replied.

Luke suppressed a smile. "He had help."

Silre's entire posture changed. Luke could literally see the realization dawning on her face as it happened.

"You?" Her voice was no more than a whisper.

"Like I said, I had help." He hoped he didn't sound arrogant. It was the truth. Each time, he had tremendous amounts of help. The final time, his father had been the one to help him.

"Wow." Silre shook her head. "I guess I have more I need to thank you for, huh?"

The corner of Luke's mouth lifted. "Not at all."

A contemplative quiet settled between them. Luke sipped his tea, feeling through the space separating himself and Silre to get a sense of what she might be thinking. She turned her gaze from him again, disappearing into her mind as she thought about everything they discussed so far. To his happy surprise, he felt only an inquisitive respect emitting from her, which calmed his own nerves.

After a minute or so, Silre looked at him again. "You and your sister stayed on Yavin after the War ended. Is the rest of your family there as well?"

"My sister is my only living family member" he answered, though he did not feel sadness in revealing this. He would rather spend the rest of his lifetime with only his sister than have a multitude of siblings and cousins he rarely saw or cared for.

Silre, however, took his admission with greater sorrow. "I'm sorry to hear that."

Luke waved it off, albeit kindly. "Don't be. She is my best friend. And my twin."

"A twin?" Hope grew in her gaze. "So she is a Jedi too?"

A smile crossed Luke's face. "She is gifted with the Force, that is certain. Our father was someone who was very gifted with the Force. He passed it on to us, but my sister has not taken the role of a Jedi. She _is_ training in lightsaber combat and defense with me, but mostly out of curiosity and a desire to increase her defenses."

"It's actually why I'm on Florrum" he added. "I was planning to refuel and then continue on a personal journey of sorts. I'm trying to find out more about the Jedi my father was, so I'm visiting some of the locations he traveled when..." Luke hesitated. "....when he was alive."

Silre sat back a little in contemplation. Luke gave her time to try and sort through the complexity of what he'd already told her. The last thing he wanted to do was reveal who his father had been, especially since he was still learning that for himself.

"When did he pass?"

It was a simple enough question but it was one that Luke didn't know how to answer. Vader may have died in his arms six months ago, but the Jedi who Anakin Skywalker had been...he died decades ago. The internal struggle he felt must have been noticeable because Silre's eyes went wide.

She shook her head and moved as though she wanted to get up and run away. "I'm sorry. Too personal, I know. You don't have to answer..."

"It's okay. Really."

"I knew I shouldn't--"

"--Silre." Luke waited until she met his gaze. "It wasn't too personal."

She nodded, though her aura was closing up again. Luke reached out through the Force, extending an invisible hand to her and, very subtly, soothed her flared emotions. He watched as she calmed almost instantly and her tension eased. When he finished, she looked at him and her smile returned and he felt his heart flutter at the sight of it.

"Where will you go next? After the storm passes?"

Luke detected a tiny edge of disappointment in the accent of her voice. Just the smallest dip in tone, giving away her feelings even without the use of the Force. He found it interesting, and it made him feel like maybe he wasn't as unwelcome as he once thought. "I was planning on visiting Kadavo. My father played a part in ending the slave market there."

They fell quiet once more. The fire crackled happily next to them while outside, the winds increased in speed even further. Soon the dust would follow, and then they'd be locked in for however long it lasted.

"Where will you go?" Luke asked her. "Do you have a plan?"

She shook her head no. "I just want to work. But these days, I seem to be running more than I'm working."

"From the leftover Imperial cells?"

She nodded.

"What do they want with you?"

"It's what they want _from_ me." She brought a hand up to her forehead and rubbed it slowly. "How do I say this....Like everyone in the Empire's past, they only want you if they can use you. And they could really use someone like me. I suspect they know who I am from my work back at the drive yards. Some Imperials heads had their eye on me for years. They think I'm the best at what I do."

Luke let his eyes wander over to the small appliances and electrical gadgets in the hideout. Clearly she had a gift for mechanics. He couldn't imagine what she might be able to do in a shipyard given the proper tools.

"Now that the Empire is scattered and without purpose" Silre continued, "they're trying to steal their assets, which...I guess includes certain people, like myself. I keep running in hopes of avoiding them. I want to make a new name for myself and still do what I love most: _building_ . Constructing. Making things with my hands...and my heart."

"Then come with me" Luke offered. "Come back to Yavin with me. You can work for the New Republic and your talents won't go to waste. You'd have permanent work doing something good for the galaxy." He smiled and felt his excitement brewing. "You could cement your choice to choose the right side, and you would be safe. I'd personally make sure of it."

It was a large proposition. Silre stared at him for a moment before looking at the fire once more. Luke waited, patient but hopeful. Then Silre sat up a little straighter and her expression turned pensive. Deep in the chocolate hues of her eyes lay the hope Luke was looking for, and when those beautiful eyes turned to focus on him once more, his heart did a backflip.

"They say you meet all the people you're supposed to in this life." Silre smiled. "Seems like I met you for a reason, Luke Skywalker."

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Just a quick note: "Silre" is pronounced: Sill-ray
> 
> Thanks for reading this far, everyone. And of course, thank you so much for your kudos, comments, bookmarks, etc. It is always very much appreciated! -Winter


End file.
